COPENHAGEN, 28 March 2025 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President and Special Representative on Fighting Corruption Irene Charalambides (Cyprus) participated in the Global Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum, which took place on 26-27 March at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s headquarters in Paris.

The Global Forum included discussions on leveraging AI in anti-corruption compliance systems, whistleblower protection and empowerment and strengthening political integrity against undue influence in public decision-making.

In her intervention, Irene Charalambides raised the issue of the protection of journalists and whistleblowers, highlighting the importance that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly attaches to this issue. Despite the adoption of relevant legislation in several states, she stressed that the cultivation of a culture of trust between employees and the competent authorities, so that the former can report cases of corruption without worrying about the risk of retaliation, must remain as a priority.

Charalambides referred to the additional challenges faced by small states in terms of maintaining the anonymity of whistleblowers and guaranteeing their protection. Regarding the role of social media, the Special Representative argued that it can both facilitate whistleblowers in revealing corruption scandals to the general public but could also serve as an avenue of targeting, undermining and retaliating against whistleblowers.

On the sidelines of the Global Forum, Charalambides had separate meetings with World Bank Governance Global Manager Roby Senderowitsch, as well as with members of non-governmental organizations active in the field of combating corruption, with whom they exchanged views on the issues under discussion and on possible future activities.

While in Paris, Charalambides also had a working lunch hosted by the Head of the French Delegation to the OSCE PA and Special Representative for the Mediterranean, Senator Pascal Allizard, which was attended by the members of the French delegation Liliana Tanguy, Stephane Demilly and Ludovic Haye, as well as the President of the France-Cyprus Friendship Group in the French Senate Samantha Cazebonne. Finally, Vice-President Charalambides attended part of the proceedings of the Plenary Session of the French Senate.

For more on the work of the Special Representative on Fighting Corruption, please click here.