Corruption affects citizens’ perception of the national political system and undermines their trust in government and public institutions.
The OECD has been helping countries tackle the root causes of corruption. This includes support for the building of a coherent, transparent and reliable institutional framework that is resilient to corruption. The OECD Integrity Review of Argentina is the first comprehensive review undertaken by the OECD following the 2017 Recommendation of the Council on Public Integrity. It provides the government with a roadmap of concrete actions to strengthen its institutions and make the country more resilient to corruption risks. Some of these actions could be implemented immediately; others require more time and could feed into the development of a National Integrity Strategy.
At the end of 2015, the Argentinian government placed strengthening institutions and fighting corruption among its core priorities. This clear commitment presents an important opportunity for strengthening integrity in the public sector. Since then, Argentina has embarked on various reforms, demonstrating strong political will alongside government commitment. These reforms include an access to information law, a law on liability of legal persons, and a project to reform the laws on public ethics and political financing. This Integrity Review recognises these and other improvements and identifies remaining challenges and gaps in both regulations and practice with respect to the system, culture and accountability of Argentina’s integrity framework.
To build an integrity system, the political will of the government is just one ingredient. In addition, all key actors from the whole of society need to be included. In this way, the Government of Argentina can lay the foundations for a culture of public integrity that helps to rebuild the social contract, regain Argentines’ trust in the system and contribute to an inclusive and sustainable development.
Marcos Bonturi,
Director,
OECD Public Governance Directorate
