A Conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA) on "Fighting Corruption, Defending Democracy" is due to take place in May: The Role of National Parliaments". The conference will be held at the Philoxenia Conference Centre on 27 and 28 May 2022 and will be addressed to the 57 Parliaments of the OSCE participating States and OSCE Mediterranean and Asian Partners.
The announcement was made at a press conference of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Anita Demetriou, and the Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Irene Charalambidou, which took place at the Filoxenia Conference Centre on Friday afternoon.
In her address, Ms Demetriou referred to the three thematic sections of the upcoming conference, which is an initiative of Ms Charalambidou in her capacity as Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Special Representative for Combating Corruption. The conference will discuss the role of national parliaments in the fight against corruption, the role of independent institutions and the media, as well as new practices that can contribute to the effective promotion of transparency and accountability, she added. The conference will be attended by representatives of GRECO, the OSCE, the World Bank, Transparency International, the United Nations, the OECD, as well as journalists with a wealth of experience in highlighting scandals, he added. From Cyprus, the former Attorney General Costas Clerides and the Auditor General of the Republic Odysseas Michaelides have been invited as keynote speakers, she said.
The conference to be hosted by the Cypriot Parliament was the result of intensive contacts and consultations I had throughout my term of office with all stakeholders, Ms. Charalambidou noted. "The aim of the meetings was to build bridges of communication with the 57 member parliaments of the CSO for Security and Cooperation in Europe and to convince them that parliaments are the most effective partner for legislative regulation and curbing the phenomena of corruption that plague many countries," she added.
Responding to journalists' questions, Charalambidou said that "we want Cyprus and all OSCE member states to benefit from such an event." The alpha and omega for fighting corruption is political will, she suggested. In addition, he referred to the peculiarities of the Republic of Cyprus, due to its bicommunal Constitution and the fact that the President of the Republic appoints the independent officials.
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