24 February 2016

From now on, anticorruption flyers will be available for passengers travelling through Boryspil International Airport, as a part of a large-scale anticorruption programme introduced at the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) of Ukraine. These flyers with information in five languages seek to prevent the possible bribing of border guards. They were developed with IOM support and soon will be available at other border crossing points. The Head of the SBGS, Viktor Nazarenko, and television personality Oleksandr Pedan headlined an event at the airport on 23 February to draw the public’s attention to the anti-corruption efforts of the Ukrainian border guards.

According to the SBGS Administration, almost 4,000 staff were subject to disciplinary and administrative actions in 2015. Criminal proceedings were opened against 137 border guards, and 46 people were fired from the SBGS.  At the same time, the number of known cases when border guards refused to take bribes is increasing, with 275 such episodes registered last year.

IOM supports the SBGS in developing its anti-corruption strategy as part of a project funded by the U.S. State Department. IOM’s assistance to the State Border Guard Service will, inter alia, include a number of assessments, the familiarization of border guards with relevant EU best practices, the development of a training programme on anti-corruption and an information campaign, and technical support for the SBGS Internal Security Service.