Ukraine

This Helpdesk Answer surveys the ongoing commentary on how to prevent corruption in Ukraine’s post-war recovery to document the major proposals that are emerging. It finds there is broad alignment on the anti-corruption policy priorities for Ukraine after the war. These include redoubling measures to strengthen the country’s anti-corruption bodies, completing rule of law reforms in the judiciary and seeking to eliminate sources of rents in the public financial management system, including in public procurement, state-owned enterprises, licences and taxes.

However, while there is consensus on the need to ensure transparency, competitive approaches and meaningful oversight in reconstruction efforts, discussions about how robust anti-corruption mechanisms should be established are more contested.

One point of contention relates to competing prescriptions on the form that reconstruction platforms, instruments and agencies should take. Ukrainian commentators appear to be primarily concerned about the inefficiencies to which uncoordinated financial assistance from multiple sources could lead. Their proposals thus usually centre on nationally owned coordination platforms.

While the risks associated with multiple competing or overlapping externally funded instruments are real, international commentators appear to be more preoccupied with the establishment of new bodies able to track, oversee and audit spending.

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