On 9 December, the International Anti-Corruption Day, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) jointly with Transparency International Latvia (biedrība “Sabiedrība par atklātību – Delna”) (Delna) organised a conference under the title “Corruption – a Threat to National and Global Security”.
The conference “Corruption – a Threat to National and Global Security” was organised by KNAB and Delna for the third consecutive year, and on 9 December 2024 it was held at the premises of KNAB. The aim of the event was to bring together professionals from the private, public, non-governmental, and academic sectors in order to discuss what Latvia must do to reduce corruption and its impact on national and global security.
The conference was divided into three panel discussions. In the first discussion, academics and researchers discussed what shapes public perceptions of corruption and what needs to be done to improve Latvia’s performance in various surveys, studies, and indices. Participants pointed out that public perceptions of corruption were shaped by various factors not necessarily directly related to corruption offences, such as economic development. Overall, Latvia’s position in corruption perception indices and surveys is improving and corresponds to the level of economic growth.
In the second panel discussion, experts from the private sector shared their experience and practical solutions on how companies can protect themselves from corruption risks, and also presented the first results and recommendations of the company integrity self-assessment tool developed by the Zero Tolerance Against Corruption (Nulles tolerance pret korupciju) initiative. Private sector representatives also discussed effective tools and approaches to help build open and sustainable business and analysed successful examples from Latvian companies.
In the closing panel discussion, high-level public officials and the non-governmental sector discussed Latvia’s anti-corruption priorities and whether the public sector is effectively tackling corruption as a national and global threat. The discussion focused on the impact of reducing red tape, implementing digital transformation, and promoting efficiency in public administration on the fight against corruption.
The conference was supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Latvia, KPMG Latvia, and the Swedish Institute.