Government Accountability Initiative Quarterly Report (August 1 – October 31, 2019)

The program aims to promote government accountability and transparency in Serbia. The GAI is a two-year activity that began on February 6, 2018, and is scheduled to end on February 5, 2022. The GAI focuses on seven areas of support, including local anti-corruption plans, transparency, public participation, municipal open budget, whistleblower protection, and anti-corruption campaigns. The program provides tailored assistance to local self-governments in Serbia, with a focus on advancing policy reforms and promoting good governance practices. In the third quarter of the second year of implementation, notable achievements and highlights include the selection of seven new local self-governments to receive GAI support. These local self-governments are Niš, Kragujevac, Novi Pazar, Sremska Mitrovica, Žabalj, Vračar, and Stari Grad. The GAI also assisted four counterpart local self-governments in revising or adopting newly developed Local Anti-Corruption Action Plans. The GAI has also made significant progress in promoting transparency and accountability in Serbia. The program has established a Single Administrative Point in Sombor, which allows registration of changes in property ownership at both the tax administration and the local utility companies in a single process. This initiative aims to improve service delivery to residents and reduce corruption. In addition, the GAI has published several important documents, including the Practicum for Investigation and Adjudication of Corruption Offences, which codifies best practices for investigation and adjudication of corruption offences. The program has also developed a series of six Performance Audit Methodology Guides for incorporation into the State Audit Institution's Manual on Performance Audit. The GAI has also supported the development of the Anti-Corruption Agency's 2019-2020 Operational Plan, which prescribes how the Agency will use its resources towards implementation of its Strategic Plan. The program has also continued to raise public awareness of the importance of whistleblower protections in Serbia, with a conference convened in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, the EU Prevention and Fight Against Corruption project, and the Pištaljka whistleblowers' portal. Furthermore, the GAI has initiated its campaigns to raise awareness of Serbia's youth on the importance of combating corruption and enhancing good governance. The program has reached agreement with the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law to support the Faculty's resumption of the Anti-Corruption Law Clinic. The GAI will provide technical assistance to develop training on anticorruption, facilitate a series of domestic and international lecturers on fighting corruption, and support cooperation of the Clinic and specialized anti-corruption units in courts and Public Prosecutor's Offices. Overall, the GAI has made significant progress in promoting government accountability and transparency in Serbia. The program's efforts have focused on advancing policy reforms, promoting good governance practices, and raising public awareness of the importance of combating corruption and enhancing good governance.