Vera Strobachova-Budway and Irene Charalambides at the OSCE Ministerial Council side event on corruption, Vienna, 5 December 2025VIENNA, 5 December 2025 — Speaking at a side event today at the OSCE’s 32nd Ministerial Council, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President and Special Representative on Fighting Corruption Irene Charalambides (Cyprus) underscored that politicians and parliamentarians carry a unique responsibility in the fight against corruption, noting that through robust legislation and rigorous oversight of governments and agencies, real progress can be made.
Charalambides participated as a keynote speaker at the side event, “Promoting Integrity Across Dimensions: An OSCE Dialogue on Fighting Corruption,” organized by the OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and the OSCE PA.
“Legislation and oversight are not enough on their own,” Vice-President Charalambides said. “We must also lead by example. We cannot credibly fight corruption if we ourselves are compromised. Integrity must begin at the top, or it will never take root at the bottom. Fighting corruption requires action from the top down and from the bottom up. It requires systems that are robust, but also leaders who are honest and courageous.”
The side event also featured keynote interventions by Valeriu Mija, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova; Ambassador Bakyt Dzhusupov, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities; and Tea Jaliashvili, First Deputy Director of ODIHR. Speakers shared their insights and practical experiences in promoting good governance and integrity across the OSCE region, and explored how strengthened co-ordination among OSCE executive structures and the Parliamentary Assembly can reinforce integrity, bolster institutional resilience, and support participating States in addressing corruption more effectively.
The event was moderated by Vera Strobachova-Budway, Senior Economic Officer at the OSCE Secretariat.
For more information on the work of the OSCE PA Special Representative on Fighting Corruption, please click here.
