Whistleblowing – what has been done in Ukraine and the future
Whistleblowing has been consistently encouraged by most governments worldwide, but in many instances, whistleblowers have found themselves in dreadful circumstances, where they find themselves ostracized, unemployed and in some instances, imprisoned. Yet, in Ukraine, whistleblowing is very important to both the present situation and the future post war scenario. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, with the support of the Government of Japan, conducted a study to evaluate the state of whistleblowing systems in Ukrainian state-owned enterprises. They discovered that whistleblower tips were responsible for exposing 43% of corruption cases. The study analyzed employee awareness, trust in reporting channels, existence of whistleblower protection policies, and overall corporate culture in state enterprises. The recommendations noted that “[a]nti-corruption officers are tasked with systematically analysing the effectiveness of whistleblowing systems, ensuring all procedures are transparent, and updating internal policies to align with current legislation. They are also responsible for promoting safe reporting channels, training staff on their use, and actively working to combat the stigma associated with whistleblowing.” This recommendation is the most important, as the anti-corruption officers within public enterprises are key to supporting potential whistleblowers, and moving forward on this recommendation would be one more positive step in the process. The other recommendations from the report were geared to the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine and the enterprise management, looking for both groups to ensure that regulatory frameworks are there, as well as fostering an integrity-first culture.
Why is this important? What this study has shown is that even systems that are far from perfect can work and can be improved upon. Whistleblowers are one more tool in the anti-corruption toolbox. Their role cannot be over-emphasized since in so many instances, corruption exists in very closed environments, such as defense procurements, where it is very difficult to access information about such procurements due to security concerns. This study should be used to keep moving forward to encourage and protect whistleblowers, both during the war and moving forward in a post-war setting, when confidence in systems will be essential.
Link: