2020News

UN to strengthen Dominican government anti-corruption efforts

Past and present corruption in government is headline news in the Dominican Republic these days. President Luis Abinader won the election promising change, and the people are holding him up to the commitment. On Tuesday, the Abinader administration took a step to strengthen institutions that are being held responsible for combatting corruption and impunity.

The United Nations will now be helping the Abinader government in its commitment to combat past and present corruption. On Tuesday, 20 October 2020, the United Nations agreed to support national efforts to prevent corruption and strengthen integrity, ethics, and transparency while strengthening the country’s institutional framework.

President Luis Abinader had campaigned promising to combat past and present corruption in government. Yet, understandably, dealing with corruption in a country where it permeates government from bottom to top, is easier said than done. Thus, the request for independent counsel from the United Nations.

Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez, Attorney General Miriam Germán Brito, director of Ethics and Government Integrity Agency, Milagros Ortiz Bosch and the director of the Procurement Agency Carlos Pimentel signed for the Dominican government. The resident coordinator for the United Nations System, Mauricio Ramírez Villegas signed for the United Nations.

The agreement commits the United Nations to provide technical assistance to Dominican officials responsible for law enforcement, public policymakers and the justice system in general. At the same time, it seeks to strengthen the capacities of civil society and the private sector.

The Memorandum of Understanding also focuses on strengthening the Dominican Republic’s institutional capacities, including those of public officials, in the areas of ethical intelligence and anti-corruption to raise the quality of public management.

It will also strengthen the National Procurement and Contracting System and allow for the preparation of documents and catalogs that serve as a reference against bribery and corruption due to overpricing, to ensure efficient, effective, transparent and accountable public management.

The agreement provides for technical assistance, the exchange of experiences and best practices, the analysis and development of policies, initiatives and projects aimed at improving transparency, ethics and the fight against corruption in the government and society in general.

The Dominican Republic ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption on 26 October 2006. It is also a signatory and is committed to the implementation of other international conventions, instruments or mechanisms, such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the special procedures of the Human Rights Council, the implementation of Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDA), as well as other conventions.

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El Caribe

21 October 2020