USAID highlights anti-corruption support given by the US to Abinader
The administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, highlighted this Sunday in Washington, D.C. the support provided by the US Government to the anti-corruption cause of President Luis Abinader.
She made the point when speaking about “The Face of Modern Corruption” at the plenary session of the 2022 International Anti-Corruption Conference, held this year in the United States.
Participating in said conference were Milagros Ortiz Bosch, director of the General Directorate of Ethics and Government Integrity of the Dominican Republic and advisor to the Executive Power on this matter; José Rijo Presbot, general director of the Budget, and Sonia Guzmán, Dominican ambassador to the US, refers to a press release.
Power noted that: “When President Abinader of the Dominican Republic came to power pledging to fight corruption, we were able to support his administration in its pursuit of ethics reforms for public officials, as well as some really important procurement reform.”
Noting that one of the first steps as administrator was to create an anti-corruption task force, led by Shannon Green, to lead ongoing efforts and transform thinking, the official announced the launch of USAID’s first Anti-Corruption Policy, designed to “protect our partner countries from corrupt domestic and foreign influence.”
She emphasized that corruption is not just something that happens within a country, but is also promoted and perpetuated by global trends and networks that include criminal syndicates and trafficking networks.
She said that in all settings in which it works, USAID takes extensive measures to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. She highlighted that in Latin America this agency has helped create secure platforms for investigative journalists from across the region to collaborate on cross-border investigations.
As a result of this connectivity, journalists have produced hundreds of investigative articles on environmental degradation, corruption and money laundering, and have uncovered more than $280 million in mismanaged public funds, Power said.
He also said that citizens everywhere, from Iraq to Armenia and even Russia and China, have protested in recent years against the actions of autocrats and oligarchs: “People have shown up in record numbers to elect candidates running on platforms anti-corruption, candidates like President Abinader, President Hichilema in Zambia, and President Sandu”.
Also present as part of the Dominican delegation were the international relations adviser of the General Directorate of Ethics and Government Integrity, Gilka Meléndez, and its planning director, Ivan Cruz Dardene.