On 20 and 21 October 2021, the Council of Europe Economic Crime and Cooperation Division organised an online training on establishing and managing an electronic asset declarations system for the staff of the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan (ACA). The training focused on international standards applicable to asset disclosure systems and examples of submission processes and types of verification from different jurisdictions. ACA employees also learned more about the benefits and challenges of introducing electronic asset declarations systems and automated verifications, as well as benefitted from concrete guidance regarding their expected roles and tasks in the process of establishing and managing the new electronic system.

Following its creation in June 2020 the Anti-corruption Agency is assigned as the main body responsible for identifying and analysing corruption risks. Recently the ACA is tasked with the development of an electronic asset and income declaration system and with the preparation of a draft law "On the asset and income declarations of civil servants”.

As the law is currently under discussion and the electronic system of asset and income declaration is expected to be launched in 2022, the ACA has requested support in learning about the experience of Council of Europe member states in establishing such a system, as well as in training its responsible employees on essential aspects of management and verification of assets and interests declared by public officials.

This activity was organised by the project on “Promoting Transparency and Action against Economic Crime”, in the framework of the Central Asia Rule of Law Programme 2020-2023, which is a joint initiative co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. The project is aimed at strengthening capacities to fight and prevent economic crime in five Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan.