Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday enacted a decree approving a plan of activities on combating corruption.

The National Action Plan on Combating Corruption, as well as the National Action Plan on Open Government, covering the period of 2012-2015, aim to ensure the continuity of measures in the fight against corruption and promotion of good governance, increase transparency in the work of state bodies and ensure its compliance with high standards, and promote the principles of open government, the Azerbaijani Commission on Combating Corruption said.

"Azerbaijan was among the first states to have joined the Open Government Partnership, initiated on an international scale," it said. "The goal of Open Government Partnership, launched as an international initiative, is to increase the transparency in public administration, ensure accountability, expand public participation and support application of new technologies. The Action Plan on Open Government, guided by the principles of Open Government Partnership, defines measures for state bodies on delivering information on their activities to the public, increasing the role of the public in decision-making, expanding electronic services and increasing the quality of services provided to citizens."

Drafts of both Action Plans were developed by the Commission on Combating Corruption on the assignment of the Azerbaijani President.

"The decree of September 5, 2012 demonstrates the continuous nature of the state policy in this area and once more expresses determination and firm will of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in the continuation of fight against corruption," said chairman of the Commission, Ramiz Mehdiyev.

"Implementation of these reforms will increase the reputation of state bodies, stimulate [raising] state-citizen relations to a new level of quality and increase the trust of citizens in the state."

In the course of drafting the Action Plans, proposals and opinions of representatives of civil society, international organizations, who actively took part in public hearings, were taken into account, along with those of government officials.

It is planned to engage non-governmental organizations in the process of implementing and evaluating the Action Plans and to carry out extensive public awareness activities.