Tashkent hosted the international conference on “Integrity in business, international standards, regional problems, and further steps” on December 16-17.

The event was organized by Uzbekistan's Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) within the framework of the project “Support to counteracting corruption in private sector of Uzbekistan”.

The project is aimed at introducing international experience and practice in combating corruption that hinders the development of entrepreneurship in the country, effective implementation of the requirements of national legislation in corruption prevention.

At the event, business entities were presented with information on the essence and significance of Uzbekistan’s state policy to combat corruption in the business sphere. The organizers noted the right of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry to exercise public control over the enforcement of laws by entrepreneurs. It was stressed that the activities of the Chamber in this direction primarily serves to identify cases of violation of the legitimate interests of entrepreneurs and the protection of their rights in the illegal actions of civil servants.

At the same time, in accordance with the current legislation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it is necessary to conduct a public examination of draft regulatory documents and pay special attention to the identification of corrupt practices. For example, this year, 868 draft laws were subjected to public scrutiny, 506 of which were specifically recommended with negative findings.

At the same time, John McGregor, the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, noted that business corruption should be viewed as a serious threat to the development and stability of entrepreneurship. Its presence undermines confidence in the government's actions to create a level playing field for doing business and can damage the investment attractiveness of the state.

The conference was a significant opportunity to analyze the work carried out in the country to implement anti-corruption policies in the business sector, share experience and develop joint recommendations to improve joint work in this area.

During the conference the participants discussed such issues as implementation of state strategies to ensure business integrity, mechanisms of corporate governance and integrity in the private sector, ensuring transparency and integrity in state enterprises, business practices and compliance with standards.

Saidmurod Rakhimov, Correspondent

Read more: http://www.uza.uz/ru/society/prioritetnye-zadachi-po-razvitiyu-biznesa-analiz-i-plany-17-12-2019