GOPAC RE-ESTABLISHED ITS GROUP AT PARLIAMENT

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ A national branch of parliamentary group of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) has re-established its composition at the State Great Khural of Mongolia. It was reported Monday at a news conference called by R.Burmaa, Kh.Temuujin, M.Batchimeg, Ya.Sodbaatar and S.Demberel MPs. Now the branch has 12 MPs from parliamentary parties, Ms R.Burmaa has been appointed its leader, they said. Current parliament and the cabinet for reforms have goals to support the good-governance and to reduce the corruption index of Mongolia. The parliamentary group against corruption aims to realize initiatives and activities on refining upon anti-corruption laws and to prevent corruption under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). The anti-corruption group at the State Great Khural was founded in 2010 by J.Sukhbaatar, Kh.Temuujin and J.Enkhbayar MPs. The newly established unofficial group comprises now R.Burmaa, the head of the Standing committee on petitions; Kh.Temuujin, the Minister of Justice; Sh.Tuvdendorj, a head of the Standing committee on justice; M.Batchimeg, a head of the Sub-committee on ethics; Ts.Davaasuren, a head of the Standing committee on budget; S.Oyun, the Minister of Environment and Green Development; and others--S.Byambatsogt, S.Ganbaatar, S.Demberel, Ya.Sodbaatar, G.Uyanga and J.Enkhbayar. The GOPAC was founded in October of 2002 as a result of a Global Conference in Ottawa, Canada, which brought together over 170 parliamentarians and 400 observers determined to fight against corruption and to improve good governance. It was at this meeting that the Board of Directors approved the GOPAC Constitution. GOPAC became a legal entity in the fall of 2003-- a not-for-profit under Canadian law. The idea for GOPAC came from the former Chair and current CEO, John Williams who felt that he attended too many parliamentary conferences that focused solely on dialogue--and not on delivering results. Mr Williams believed that an international organization of parliamentarians dedicated to improving parliaments as institutions of oversight and that focused itself on delivering results was needed. B.Khuder