Dissemination of knowledge for public decision-making (IT0083)

Problem solved:

The complex integration of measures taken by the legal system to protect the integrity of the public (anti-mafia, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, anti-fraud, etc.) arises from the general difficulty in understanding the phenomena that threaten the effectiveness of political and administrative action and that disrupt the objectives of the public system. These phenomena, such as infiltration of organized crime, money laundering, fraud and embezzlement, certainly arouse social unrest. However, the dynamics and mechanisms of exploitation involving the public sector are difficult to understand and often escape perception. Other phenomena, such as conflicts of interest and revolving doors, remain in the background of political and administrative action and are addressed using ineffective approaches in terms of ensuring the independence and impartiality of public functions. The complexity of these phenomena makes it increasingly necessary to build and strengthen, both in public administrations and among citizens, knowledge and skills useful for addressing them. This can be done by creating a dialogue between the administrative supervision constituted by the internal control system and the external control ensured by civil monitoring activities. It is important to develop a common language for both the prevention and combating of corruption, money laundering and fraud, also from the perspective of increasingly integrating the safeguards provided by the legal system with the solutions developed by civil society organisations. Another fundamental issue, in this perspective, is the protection of whistleblowers. Despite the recent adoption of Directive 2019/1937, many critical issues remain open, in particular regarding the visibility of CSOs supporting and assisting whistleblowers and the usability of this service. Therefore, it is necessary to map and assess all the entities dealing with whistleblower protection in Italy, as well as further promote and disseminate good practices already developed by the SNA’s RPCT Community of Practice to address this issue.

Description of the commitment:

The main objective is to create, through equal cooperation between institutions and civil society organisations, a set of skills and guidelines to prevent corruption, fraud and money laundering, and to promote a culture of integrity among public officials and civil society organisations. This requires training within the SNA RPCT Community of Practice. This will be achieved by identifying archetypes to develop innovative skills for the training of public officials, allowing them to understand phenomena and properly manage conflicts of interest and ethical dilemmas, as also called for by the OECD recommendations on public integrity. Furthermore, it is crucial to help change the narrative around the whistleblower figure, by strengthening their protection to defend public value. Initiatives will be undertaken to increase understanding of the new regulations, promote training and skills development paths for RPCTs and plan targeted communication strategies. The same applies to the transparency of assets seized from the mafia, which must be returned to the communities to recover the value taken. In the current context, integrating anti-corruption and anti-money laundering is essential to prevent the risks of criminal infiltration, particularly in PNRR-funded projects.

How will the commitment address the problem?

The development of skills within civil society and government is of primary importance to support integrity policies and the management of assets seized from the mafia for social purposes. Skills development helps actors navigate a complex landscape and initiate the necessary dialogue to build and sustain public value, which is the ultimate goal of governance action. With regard to the integration of anti-corruption and anti-money laundering measures, in light of the need for greater coordination, a qualitative study will continue to systematize information and data on factors that enable public administrations to carry out anti-money laundering tasks, with the aim of creating an active collaborative model that can be proposed to a wider range of public authorities through the Community of Practice, transforming those enabling factors into real good practices that can be exported and disseminated. In the same vein, a model of integrity competencies will be defined through qualitative and quantitative studies on the perception and tolerance of corrupt behavior, as well as understanding the phenomena that threaten the transparency and integrity of decision-making processes. In an era where the narrative built on unverifiable data shapes and constructs civic space, it is necessary to rethink the value of public information in this context, both for public decisions and for citizens’ involvement in political life. The commitment includes activities coordinated with commitment 4 of Objective B.

Why is this commitment relevant to the OGP values?

The commitment is relevant because it aims to enhance the role and experience of organised civil society, alongside public administrations, in preventing corruption phenomena in order to promote integrity and accountability. It also seeks to disseminate targeted skills among public officials. Given the current significant lack of sensitivity and awareness on crucial topics in the field of corruption prevention, it is necessary to promote innovative training models for public officials (also through concrete cases and ethical dilemmas, as requested by the OECD recommendations on public integrity), allowing a full understanding of the phenomena and proper risk management. Likewise, it is relevant for OGP values ​​to accompany the change of the narrative on whistleblowing, networking all entities involved in their protection in Italy and improving transparency in reporting channels in order to create a favourable environment.

Description of activities and results:

Integration of anti-corruption and anti-money laundering measures and strengthening of anti-money laundering measures in governments
Results: Update of the research on factors contributing to the fight against money laundering, in line with 5NAP (May 2025), Guidelines for the integration of anti-money laundering measures within the objectives of promoting the integrity of public administration (January 2026)
Strengthening transparency and accountability for civilian oversight and the skills of government personnel in managing seized assets
Results: Best practices in: standardization of data publication (January 2026), regulation of the management and allocation of seized assets (May 2026)

Dissemination of best practices in the field of whistleblowing
Results: Best practices review (September 2025)

Awareness of conflicts of interest, development and transfer of a model for ’emergence and management policy’
Results: Prototype of “Conflict of Interest Management Policy” (March 2025)

A qualitative-quantitative study aimed at a first definition of the “profile of public integrity skills”
Output: Scientific and revealing research report to raise awareness on the themes of integrity and transparency of decision-making processes and phenomena that may lead to a decrease in integrity, with special attention to conflicts of interest (May 2026)

Definition of an initial framework of integrity and participation skills to anticipate exposure to the culture of integrity at school age, based on relevant experiences at national and international level
Output: Summary document: “skills for integrity at school” (April 2026)