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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Prime Minister of Bulgaria and USAID Administrator Agree to Launch "Open Government Initiative"
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov
(202) 712-43202002-038
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2002Contact: USAID Press Office
Washington, D.C. - Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Andrew S. Natsios signed an agreement today to cooperate on a new anti-corruption initiative. The three-year, $6.8 million program will improve accountability mechanisms and the investigative capacity of government institutions, as well as support non-governmental organizations' (NGOs) review of government activities.
Administrator Natsios remarked, "corruption is a fundamental enemy of reforms and development. We applaud the closer cooperation between the public and private sectors in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian government's anti-corruption strategy."
The first goal of the Open Government Initiative is to increase transparency and reduce opportunities for corruption in public administration. USAID will provide technical and in-kind assistance to the Bulgarian government's anti-corruption efforts, particularly those of the National Audit Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Public Procurement Directorate of the Council of Ministers.
The second goal of the Open Government Initiative is to foster civil society's efforts to promote transparency, accountability and awareness of corruption through work with Coalition 2000, a well-known partnership of a number of Bulgarian NGOs aimed at combating corruption through a collaborative process with government institutions, media and the private sector.
At the end of three years, the activities undertaken will result in greater transparency and accountability among target Bulgarian government institutions, increased public awareness of corruption, and greater activism among civic groups to raise the standard against which governmental conduct is measured.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
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Last Updated on: December 30, 2008 |
