A branch of GOPAC constituted in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina

By signing the Charter of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians against Corruption (GOPAC), a branch of GOPAC in Bosnia and Herzegovina was constituted today in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the ceremony which was organized and supported by the United Nations Development Program(UNDP), GOPAC Charter was signed by seven delegates and MPs of both Houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.

Safet Softić, Speaker of the House of Peoples, attended the ceremony of signing the Charter and welcomed the fact that the branch of GOPAC for BiH was formed on December 9, the International Day against corruption and pointed out that thus the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH sends a clear message of its commitment to further strengthen the institutional capacity to fight corruption in the country.

Addressing the audience, Speaker Softić said that the issue of prevention and coordination of the fight against corruption is one of the most important tasks performed by government institutions at all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and emphasized that the public perception in our country testifies that citizens consider corruption one of the biggest problems that BiH society faces today.

Softić said that the constitution of GOPAC branch in the Parliamentary Assembly represents a major step for the future activities in the field of prevention and fight against corruption in BiH institutions, especially in the forthcoming activities of representatives and delegates of both Houses in this regard. Expressing gratitude to the representatives of UNDP for supporting our country to become a part of the great world GOPAC's family, as well as MPs from Serbia whose previous engagement helped establishment of this branch in our Parliament, Softić also expressed best wishes to representatives and delegates of both houses for their future work in GOPAC and asked them to be pro-active in this project and send a positive image of the Parliamentary Assembly as well as a clear message that a true fight against corruption with participation of all in the future period, has no alternative.

In addition to the Speaker of the House of Peoples of BiH Parliamentary Assembly, participants were addressed by the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in BiH, Sezin Sinanoglu, as well as a representative of GOPAC National Branch in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia,  Aleksander Pejčić.

After signing the Charter, members of GOPAC's Branch of the Parliamentary Assembly called on the interested representatives and delegates of both Houses to participate actively in the work of the branch, as well as in the development and implementation of the future GOPAC Action Plan which will define activities of the branch in the coming period. (End)