The Action on “Promoting Transparency and Action against Economic Crime” in Central Asia (CA TAEC), organised a four-day training of trainers in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Kazakhstan (ATAMEKEN) in Astana, on 5-8 December 2023. The training aimed at improving the understanding of the trainers of corporate anti-corruption compliance as a function, a process, and a multi-stakeholder endeavour.

A total of 25 representatives of the private sector, including business associations, joint-stock companies, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) participated in the training. The activity was also attended by the General Prosecutors Office, the Anticorruption Agency, the Astana International Finance Centre, and the Financial Monitoring Agency (Kazakh FIU).

Available tools for the prevention of corporate corruption and fostering good corporate governance were presented. The discussions focussed on key integrity concepts such as ethics and codes of conduct, policies and measures for whistle-blower protection, the management of conflicts of interest, or the disclosure of beneficial owners. Good procurement practices and stakeholder cooperation with civil society and the public sector were also part of the exchanges between the Council of Europe’s experts and the participants. Additionally, the attendees received coaching on how to educate others in anti-corruption compliance and used these techniques and tools for the transfer of knowledge.

Following the training, participants will be able to introduce and/or disseminate the anticorruption compliance knowledge in their own companies and among their colleagues, hence ensuring the sustainability of the project’s activities. This training builds on the key findings of the regional workshop on Enhancing business integrity and compliance of the private sector in Central Asia in July 2023 in Strasbourg.

The activity was organised by the Action on “Promoting Transparency and Action against Economic Crime” in the framework of the Central Asia Rule of Law Programme 2020-2024, a joint initiative co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. The Action is aimed at strengthening capacities to fight and prevent economic crime in five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan).