On November 17, 2022, the Steering Group of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Anti-Corruption Network (OECD/ACN) endorsed the OECD/ACN Fifth Round Monitoring Assessment Framework, which will examine the anti-corruption environment in OECD/ACN member countries. Unfortunately, unlike other OECD/ACN member countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan), the Government of Georgia did not participate in the process of adopting the fifth round monitoring assessment framework. If the Government of Georgia does not agree to adopt the framework of the assessment already accepted by all the countries of the network by the end of 2022, the fifth round of monitoring under the istanbul Anti-Corruption action plan will no longer be carried out in Georgia in 2023.

In 2020, the OECD/ACN developed new anti-corruption methodology indicators, according to which countries should be evaluated annually from 2023. Before putting the indicators and methodology into practice, within the framework of the "EU for Integrity" program, the governments of the five Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries - Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, and Azerbaijan - agreed to implement a pilot monitoring project, and the pilot monitoring report was adopted in April 2022. Despite agreeing to the assessment conducted using the pilot methodology, Georgia was the only country among the OECD/ACN member countries that did not take part in the adoption process of the final assessment framework. If it does not do so, the 5th round of monitoring in 2022 will not be implemented in Georgia.

We would like to point out that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) assessment process of the corruption environment is supported by the European Union and can become one of the criteria in the evaluation of countries that have the declared goal of integration with the European Union, and especially for those countries that want to obtain the status of a candidate for the European Union (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia).

OECD consists of 38 economically and democratically developed countries and assists more than 100 countries in the world, including Georgia, in implementing economic and democratic reforms. Cooperation with the OECD is extremely important for Georgia, as the largest part of the aid allocated to the country comes from OECD member states. The program called Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (OECD/ACN) is part of this assistance. Within the framework of the program, the anti-corruption environment in the participating countries is periodically examined, with recommendations being issued for specific reforms.

We believe that the Georgian government's passivity regarding the participation in the 5th round of OECD/ACN monitoring process harms the reputation of Georgia and calls into question the agenda of anti-corruption reforms in the country. We call on the Government of Georgia to constructively cooperate with the Anti-Corruption Network of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and to ensure the implementation of the 5th round of anti-corruption environment monitoring assessment in Georgia in 2023.

1. Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)

2. Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia)

3. Governance Monitoring Center (GMC)

4. Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association