As part of its SDG Partnership on Transparency & Accountability,* UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) and UNDP Algeria convened a hybrid workshop on 20 December 2021to evaluate the status of anti-corruption practices in Algeria. Representatives from the National Body for Prevention and Fight against Corruption of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (ONPLC) presented their newly developed anti-corruption policy tool based on the Anti-corruption Initiative Assessment (AIA) of the Republic of Korea (RoK), which is an annual monitoring mechanism to promote the voluntary anti-corruption efforts of public organizations.

In collaboration with UNDP Algeria and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Algeria, ONPLC responded to USPC’s call for expression of interest released in 2020 to obtain support in strengthening integrity within its public sector and enabling efficient public service delivery by adapting and benchmarking AIA developed by RoK’s Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission (ACRC).. ONPLC has since been developing their own AIA-like mechanism through a series of knowledge exchangesthat helped refine the Algerian tool since the first project inception meeting in December 2020.

Mr. Tarek Kour, President of ONPLC, expressed the wish to “raise the chances of success and to make maximum use of international expertise and experience in the field of preparing as well as monitoring and evaluating anti-corruption policies.” Ms. Blerta Aliko, Resident Representative of UNDP Algeria, highlighted how “the use and adaptability of AIA in and to different countries present an asset to support Algeria in the process of implementing its anti-corruption strategy which requires coordination, careful monitoring and commitment.” Ms. Ahjung Lee, Governance Portfolio Manager and Policy Specialist at USPC, stated that “USPC is thrilled that ONPLC has a long-term strategy, meaning that [the adoption of an AIA-like mechanism] is not a one-time initiative but rather one which will be further explored and sustained.” The technical session featured USPC’s introductory video on AIA, translated and dubbed into French to provide greater access to French-speaking audiences.

Ms. Ahjung Lee and Ms. Gichung Lee, Policy Analyst at USPC, spoke on the lessons learned from formulating the assessment indicators, backed by Viet Nam’s example of successfully localizing and implementing the country’s localized AIA-inspired mechanism. Mr. Abdellatif Benida, Head of Research for the International Cooperation Division of ONPLC, elaborated on recent developments in ONPLC based on AIA. In response, Mr. Jungoh Son, UNDP Anti-Corruption Policy Advisor and ACRC Secondee to UNDP, provided his comments and summarized the key takeaways of ACRC’s AIA implementation experience.

The ensuing Q&A session  further explored how the Vietnamese precedent had dealt with resistance and obstacles to newly implemented anti-corruption measures, and  howinternational anti-corruption standards, as well as the private and justice sectors, could be incorporated in the localization processIn closing, all partners reiterated the importance of simplifying the tool for adoption to the local content, and seeking continuous consultations for further refinements.

* UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) shares Korea’s tested-and-proven policy tools with other countries through SDG Partnerships. SDG Partnerships provide a combination of support, including partnership development with Korean institutions, seed funding, technical assistance, and policy advisory services. It utilizes UNDP’s global policy network of country offices and the policy expertise and know-how of partner organizations such as ACRC.