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Crucial aspects of resilience, sustainable development and recovery will be under the thematic spotlight
They can now anonymously submit reports in relation to corruption and other misconducts online
In many cities, people often feel powerless when it comes to the corruption of local governments and city employees. Although some try to find ways of reporting unethical behaviour, others stay silent as they fear that they may put themselves in danger by speaking out.
Acknowledging this issue and the importance of being informed about suspected wrongdoings, the Finnish City of Turku has created a portal where residents can submit their concerns. The portal is reportedly based on the EU Directive that seeks to protect whistle-blowers. Therefore, it allows citizens to anonymously submit reports.
Using the portal, residents can report several unethical behaviours relating to one or more of the following topics: public procurement, theft, corruption, embezzlement, protection of privacy and personal data, ethical principles of the city, actions that are not in accordance with the laws, guidelines, and regulations, local road safety, and environmental protection.
Submissions will be completely anonymous as citizens can make reports without giving their names. In addition to submitting a tip, one can also open a “Secure Inbox”. By doing so, they will be able to receive feedback from the municipality and see how it is handling their report. Commenting on the new portal, Project Manager Jouni Satopää shared:
“It is an important tool for maintaining confidence in the city's operations. The portal can facilitate, for example, highlighting deficiencies in financial reporting and accounting. The reports are also checked carefully.”
It follows then that the portal will increase transparency and help the city combat unethical behaviour. In turn, it will strengthen people's trust in the municipality and make them feel safer, knowing that they can report suspected wrongdoing without putting themselves at risk.
The city was concerned about street noise and disturbances to residents
This, however, is likely to change soon
Crucial aspects of resilience, sustainable development and recovery will be under the thematic spotlight
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The city was concerned about street noise and disturbances to residents
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