From September 24 to October 4, a delegation of Uzbekistan led by the Deputy Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency visited the United States as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program of the US Department of State.

For reference: The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program that provides valuable opportunities for experts from around the world to exchange experiences and ideas in various intergovernmental areas, hold meetings, and strengthen relationships through short-term visits.

The main purpose of the trip was to get acquainted with the legislation, judicial and regulatory framework of the United States to combat corruption, study the system for investigating cases of fraud, abuse and corruption, including cases related to the declaration of assets and income, as well as to share experience regarding government activities aimed at increasing openness and transparency, familiarization with ethical standards in public administration, etc.

During the visit to the US capital, meetings were held with representatives of the State Department, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Justice, the Maryland State Ethics Commission, Public Policy Partners lobbying and public policy firm, the National Whistleblower Center, the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General (OGI), the Boston Globe, Common Cause organization, and several other agencies to share anti-corruption practices and foster collaboration.

In particular, during the meetings, a wide range of issues were discussed, including the measures and initiatives taken in the fight against corruption in the United States, public disclosure of information regarding federal contracts, grants and loans, investigations aimed at saving taxpayers money, identifying criminal proceeds and illegal assets and their return, cooperation with relevant departments in various countries, ethical standards in the United States, criteria for preventing conflicts of interest in public service, procedures for receiving gifts, etc.

Moreover, information was provided on the procedure of ethics training of government employees, upon completion of which they receive guidelines for further use in their work, as well as information about the procedure for working with whistleblowers and their protection, and the activities of lobbying firms in the United States.

On October 2-3, the delegation of Uzbekistan held meetings with representatives of responsible departments and organizations in the state of Massachusetts. In Boston, as part of the meetings, the US experience on ethical standards for judges, effective methods of prosecuting corrupt government officials, the role of the media and civil society in ensuring transparency of the activities of public authorities and administration were studied.

Press Office

The Anti-Corruption Agency