We supported the EU integration efforts of Budapest’s District III (Óbuda-Békásmegyer) by organizing the Óbuda Knowledge Club and launching a publication series showcasing the life stories of the district’s deceased scholars. We regularly attended the sessions of the local government’s bodies, including those involving the district’s civil organizations.

As part of our Moldova democracy development program, we held a lecture in Chișinău. In Hungary, several of our experts regularly deliver lectures for civil organizations and educational institutions. In a unique initiative, we organized a joint conference with the Budapest Bar Association, aiming to reduce corruption in Hungary.

Founded in August 2006, the UNCAC Coalition is a global network comprising nearly 400 civil society organizations from over 120 countries. It is committed to the ratification, implementation, and monitoring of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). The coalition mobilizes civil society at the international, regional, and national levels in support of UNCAC. Member organizations work on a broad range of issues related to anti-corruption efforts, transparency, accountability, and the specific provisions of UNCAC.

Within the framework of our Hungarian democracy development program, we actively participated in the work of the American Chamber of Commerce’s Transparency Committee. In addition, we contributed to the Ministry of Justice and Law Enforcement’s Anti-Corruption Working Group on Transparency, where we gathered experience that could later be applied in other developing countries.

In 2010, the Foundation continued its professional fight against corruption by developing a Civil Oversight System aimed at involving volunteers in the civil monitoring of public fund usage. At the invitation of the State Audit Office, we participated in a professional conference focused on fostering integrity in the public sector.

We regularly represented the need for greater transparency in the corporate sector through our participation in the Responsible Corporate Governance Committee meetings of the American Chamber of Commerce.

On July 23, 2010, the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice issued a call for proposals regarding the revision of laws affecting civil organizations. We submitted our recommendations to State Secretary László Szászfalvi.

We also submitted professional proposals for Hungary’s new constitution and for the state regulation of innovation activities.

In 2011, our focus shifted to international cooperation related to financial security. We continued our collaboration with the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). As the only Hungarian civil organization, we participated in the review conference of the UN Convention against Corruption (Marrakech, October 24–28, 2011).

We became associate members of the Washington, D.C.–based Global Financial Integrity – Task Force, a network promoting financial integrity. At its conference in Paris (October 5–8, 2011), we established contacts with global and regional civil society organizations operating in similar fields.

The Foundation continued its professional efforts to reduce corruption. On March 23, 2011, we participated in the inaugural session of the Anti-Corruption Committee formed under the Joint Venture Association, and we have remained active in its work ever since. We also took part in the AmCham Transparency Conference.

Recognizing the importance of online media in the fight against corruption, we launched a biweekly newsletter called SecInfo.hu on December 9, the UN International Anti-Corruption Day.

Based on a strategic agreement with the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice (KIM), our activities focused primarily on anti-corruption efforts and the issue of press freedom. In November, Dr. Zoltán Kovács, head of the Human Rights Working Group, informed us that the foundation had been selected as a member of the Human Rights Roundtable, as designated by Government Resolution 1039/2012 (II.22.).

As part of our anti-corruption initiatives, we launched a research project to uncover how the current corruption landscape in Hungary developed. In our transatlantic cooperation, we continued working with the Washington-based Global Financial Integrity civil organization and promoted the values of honor and integrity through our financial security newsletter.

We also deepened our collaboration with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime by providing expert support to help the Hungarian media offer more balanced coverage of international affairs.

One of our highlighted research topics was the formation of corruption networks in Hungary, launched with the support of NEA (National Cooperation Fund) special grants.

We participated in the programs of the Government’s Anti-Corruption and Human Rights Working Groups under the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice (KIM), contributing to law-drafting and consultation activities in several working groups, in line with Government Resolution 1104/2012 (IV.6.). These groups included:

• The Anti-Corruption Expert Group’s Advocacy Subgroup
• The Working Group on Assessing Corruption Risks
• The Public Awareness Campaign Working Group for Corruption Prevention

We were also invited to join the Human Rights Roundtable established by Government Resolution 1039/2012 (II.22.).

Our online financial security newsletter, SecInfo.hu, was published monthly. The publication translates international articles into Hungarian in cooperation with the Global Financial Integrity Task Force. We distribute the newsletter to 2,900 subscribers and promote it through other civil channels as well.

We are founding members of the Joint Venture Association’s Anti-Corruption Committee and active participants in both the AmCham Transparency Committee and the Responsible Corporate Governance Committee.

The final study of our academic research project, “Formation of Corruption Networks in Hungary,” was published this year.

Within the framework of our now-expired Strategic Agreement with the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice (KIM), we continued participating in the Government’s Anti-Corruption and Human Rights Working Groups, contributing to law-drafting and policy evaluation.

Working groups involved included:

• The Anti-Corruption Expert Group’s Advocacy Subgroup
• The Corruption Risk Assessment Group
• The Public Awareness Campaign for Corruption Prevention Group

At the invitation of the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), we participated in the 4th round on-site evaluation in Hungary (October 28–31, 2014, held at the Ministry of Interior on József Attila Street).

We also continued our cooperation with the Washington-based Global Financial Integrity Task Force, which focuses on financial transparency and security.

We placed special emphasis on developing relations with the European Union. We were members of the European Commission Directorate-General for Trade’s Moldova Advisory Group, but we temporarily suspended our participation in protest against the high level of political corruption in Moldova.

On January 28, 2015, we participated in the event “The Role of Civil Society in Research and Innovation,” held in Brussels.

As part of a cross-border program, we gave a lecture on October 27, 2016, in Štúrovo (Párkány) at an international scientific conference titled:
“Socio-economic Cohesion in the Border Regions of the Carpathian Basin.”

Submitting a grant application to the Pallas Athéné Geopolitical Foundation for printing conference materials (although all grant applications were later canceled at the end of the year).

Regular participation in events organized under the Digital Wellbeing Program, led by a government commissioner.

At the Ministry of Justice’s Human Rights Working Group on Civil and Political Rights, we proposed that the topic of internet access as a fundamental human right be placed on the agenda (which occurred on February 9, 2017).

Active participation in the Innovation Policy Task Force and Digitalization Policy Task Force of AmCham (American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary).

Engagement in a variety of events within the startup ecosystem, such as those organized by the Budapest Enterprise Agency.

Continued cooperation with the Global Financial Integrity Task Force, focusing on financial security.

Our research activities focused on geopolitical and innovation-related studies, the results of which we made freely available to the public. We regularly participated in lectures and conferences organized by Hungarian research institutes and the Vienna Diplomatic Academy.

Among our international engagements, our relationship with the United Nations was particularly noteworthy. In 2017, we renewed our special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and participated in the 7th Conference of the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

We closely monitored the work of the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and sought opportunities for cooperation. We also strengthened our transatlantic ties through the Washington-based Financial Transparency Coalition, attending its annual conference in Finland.

We continued to prioritize issues such as freedom of expression and internet freedom, and prepared to engage with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on press and media freedom. We monitored global trends and supported petition initiatives from organizations like ONE.org when we shared values.

At the Ministry of Justice’s Human Rights Working Group, under the Thematic Working Group on Civil and Political Rights, we proposed the topic “Access to the Internet as a Human Right”, which was discussed on February 9, 2017. We also took part in the 10th Budapest Human Rights Forum.

We regularly participated in meetings of the Innovation Policy and Digitalization Policy Task Forces of AmCham Hungary, but by the end of the year, we decided to use our annual membership fee to revamp our website instead.

We attended various events in the startup ecosystem, responding to invitations from the Budapest Enterprise Agency, the Digital Wellbeing Program, and the ICT Association of Hungary (IVSZ).

We continued our activities within the Joint Venture Association, especially in the Innovation and Anti-Corruption Committees.

We launched a new research project on corruption, with the final report scheduled for publication in 2025. Among our democracy-protection activities, we focused especially on transparency, freedom of expression and internet access, and fundamental human rights.

We actively participated in two working groups of the UNCAC Coalition (United Nations Convention Against Corruption):

• the Human Rights and Corruption Working Group, and
• the Working Group on the Protection of Whistleblowers and Other Reporting Persons.

As part of the new RESPOND project (Rescuing Democracy from Political Corruption in Digital Societies), we took part (via Zoom) in a conference held on May 22 at the University of Bologna.

On June 13, we participated in a joint training session of the Open Data Charter and the Open Government Partnership, focused on the topic:
“Open data for the prevention and fight against corruption.”

At the invitation of the Vienna-based international law firm Wolf Theiss, we attended a regional seminar on investigations, crisis management, and compliance held on September 12–13, 2024.

We also planned a campaign to strengthen good governance in Budapest’s District III, foster cooperation among civil society organizations, and build expert-level social dialogue. As part of this campaign, we aimed to reduce corruption in the Óbuda-Békásmegyer local government and raise awareness of corruption’s harmful effects among young (18–35) and elderly (65+) voters in the district.

However, our EU grant application was rejected by the consortium led by the Ökotárs Foundation, citing anonymous reviewer feedback. The same consortium also rejected our application under the EU’s “Our Values – In Development 3” call, which aimed to improve access to EU data for Budapest-based civil society organizations.

Due to over-subscription, we were also unable to attend the international conference “Local Democracy in Practice” held by K-Monitor on November 21–22, 2024. The event’s goal was to bring together stakeholders interested in improving local democratic conditions — including municipalities, local NGOs, and experts — and to encourage dialogue.