The COVID-19 virus has taken a steep toll on economic activity in Eastern Europe due to widespread emergency lockdowns. Low-income and informal businesses are suffering immensely and there’s a high risk that companies that have started operating in the formal economy will be pushed back into the shadows. The pandemic has led many governments to cut off access to information, suspend rules on government procurement, and waive accountability mechanisms that help ensure the efficient use of public resources. This is especially concerning in countries that receive large amounts of emergency assistance funding from the IMF and other international organizations as most aid has limited anti-corruption measures and conditionality.
Please join a discussion led by a CIPE regional anti-corruption expert and two local partners to better understand the current challenges and anti-corruption efforts of Eastern Europe’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The presenters are CIPE Program Officer and anti-corruption lead in Europe & Eurasia Ekaterina Lysova, small business owner and President of Alliance of Small Enterprises (Moldova) David Smith, and CEO of the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs Kateryna Glazkova. They will discuss how to mitigate the risk of corruption and ensure accountability and effectiveness in the global response to the COVID-19 crisis.
The session will feature an introduction by CIPE Executive Director Andrew C. Wilson and will be moderated by CIPE Europe & Eurasia Regional Director Natalia Otel Belan. This web-based conference is the second in a series on COVID-19 and Corruption organized by CIPE’s Anti-Corruption & Governance Center.
This event will be held via RingCentral. The information to connect with us will be included in your registration e-mail. Please contact communications@cipe.org for any questions.