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MAAA MEMBERS’ SUCCESS STORIES
Irena Popovska MSc
Irena Popovska, MSc, works as Head of Anticorruption Unit at the State Commission of
Prevention of Corruption. In 2012, she participated in the International Visitor Leadership
Program (IVLP) on the theme “Transparency and Accountability in the U.S”, Regional project for
Europe and Eurasia, managed by the U.S Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs.
In May and June 2018, I was invited by the Institute for Strategic Research and Education - ISIE
to participate as a lecturer - an authorized person for acting upon reports from whistleblowers
in the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption in accordance with the Law on
Whistleblowers Protection - at the workshops that were part from the Project "Corruption Free
University" supported by US Embassy in Macedonia.
The fight against corruption as a
socially harmful phenomenon is a top priority of our country. Whistleblowing is a modern tool in
the fight against corruption, and is based on the assumption that whistleblowers play a very
important role in detecting corruption, abuses, frauds and other crimes that endanger human
health and safety, human rights and the rule of law. By introducing systemic protection for
persons who report suspicion of corruption or other unlawful and unacceptable behavior
(whistleblowers), the institutional fight against corruption is strengthened. The analysis of
the submitted reports from higher education institutions to the State Commission for Prevention
of Corruption shows that since the beginning of the implementation of the Law on Whistleblowers
Protection there have been no applications submitted by whistleblowers in these institutions.
Hence, a campaign is needed to raise public awareness on the whistleblowers’ protection system
in higher educational institutions and to conduct systematic and continuous trainings for their
employees and authorized persons.
The goal of the workshops within the framework of
the "Corruption Free University" Project was to increase the capacity of the universities for
implementation of the Law on Whistleblowers Protection and bylaws, as a tool for preventing
corruption in higher education in Macedonia. The workshops were organized in the four university
centers in the country: Skopje, Bitola, Tetovo and Stip. The trainings were focused on
university administration and management, authorized persons for acting upon reports from
whistleblowers, employees, students and all other interested parties.
As an authorized person for acting upon reports from whistleblowers in the State Commission
for Prevention of Corruption, I delivered presentations on the provisions of the Law on
Whistleblowers Protection and bylaws, on defining whistle blowing, the rights of the
whistleblowers, the procedures of the institutions in the case of submitted reports from
whistleblowers in accordance with the Law on Whistleblowers Protection and bylaws and
whistleblowers protection. Over 70 people (university administration and management,
authorized persons for acting upon reports from whistleblowers, employees, and students) were
trained at the four workshops held in Bitola, Stip, Skopje and Tetovo.
I am pleased that I participated in these well organized and useful trainings as a lecturer,
and thanks to my professional experience related to acting upon cases with suspicious of
corruption, in a practical way I explained the procedures that the institutions should take in
case of submitted reports from whistleblowers in accordance with the Law on Whistleblowers
Protection and bylaws and the measures and actions taken by the competent institutions to
protect whistleblowers. Bearing in mind that the implementation of the Law on Whistleblowers
Protection is progressing slowly, I hope that this training process to all interested parties
will continue in the next period in order to provide successful implementation of
whistleblowers protection system and preventing corruption in higher education.
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