What's New

15 October 2008
Asia and Pacific Policy-Makers discuss implementation of UN Convention Against Corruption

From 13-15 October 2008, anti-corruption practitioners and policy-makers from 18 countries in Asia and the Pacific region came together to discuss implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. The report of the three-day Technical Training organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Centres in Bangkok and the Pacific in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime is now available online. Resource persons from the Asian Development Bank and the Pacific Forum Secretariat also participated in the workshop.

At the opening of the Technical Training, Ms Marcia Kran from UNDP Regional Centre Bangkok observed: “If we want to improve the lives of the millions of people who live in extreme poverty, then the fight against corruption has to be made a top-priority at all levels. Corruption not only endangers the stability of democratic institutions, it also discriminates in the delivery of services and thus violates human rights. The poor in particular, who suffer more than anyone else from corruption in their daily lives, deserve to have a basic human right to live in a corruption-free society.”

Heads of Government from Asia and the Pacific have already recognized the important role that UNCAC plays in providing an internationally agreed framework for the construction of an effective anti-corruption framework for countries around the globe. ASEAN’s latest Vientiane Plan of Action 2004-2020 pays increased attention to corruption as a governance issue that requires special attention. Today, 28 countries in the Asia-Pacific region have joined the ADB-OECD Anticorruption Initiative for Asia Pacific and work together towards the implementation of the Initiative’s action plan. In 2004, at the 35th Pacific Islands Forum in Apia, Samoa, the Forum Leaders Communiqué called upon Pacific leaders “to consider signing and ratifying the UN Convention against Corruption to strengthen good governance in accordance with the spirit of the Biketawa Declaration.”

UNCAC is the first international legal instrument of its kind. It was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 31 October 2003 and came into force on 14 December 2005. To date, more than 125 countries have ratified the Convention including 16 countries from the Asia Pacific region: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Maldives, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

When reflecting on the Technical Training, PNG’s Chief Ombudsman, Mr Chronox Manek, observed: “The fight against corruption is everybody’s business – yours, mine, his and hers. When everybody stands up to fight corruption, they will, despite good intentions, come from different angles depending on what their personal experiences have been. There is therefore a greater need to harmonise these approaches and attack corruption with a coordinated and united front. I expect this training to identify appropriate approaches that can assist in tackling these issues so that we can have a common approach to attacking corruption.”

The Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bhutan, Mr. Rinzi Dorji, echoed the sentiment, “the training has provided great in-depth knowledge on UNCAC … the fight against corruption is the responsibility of every individual and not just enforcement agencies.”

UNCAC is a clear demonstration of the global consensus on what countries should do to prevent and criminalize corruption, to improve international cooperation in combating corruption and to recover assets. It is considered by many as a revolutionary step in international criminal law, and a groundbreaking tool to promote good governance. At the same time, UNCAC is a development framework for UNDP and provides a normative grounding for its preventive work against corruption, in particular the development of Anti-Corruption policies, the support to Anti-Corruption Bodies, the engagement with civil society, the private sector and the media.

Participants at the Technical Training discussed a range of issues dealing with the practical challenges of implementing the UN Convention Against Corruption. They shared experiences on anti-corruption initiatives and the Millennium Development Goals, transforming institutions and cultures to promote accountability, strengthening oversight mechanisms such as Ombudsman, reforming the public sector, and government-NGO initiatives to tackle corruption.

Recognising the impact of corruption on human development, UNDP earlier this year, released the Asia Pacific Human Development Report “Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives.” The report calls for a collective effort by all stakeholders – governments, development partners, civil society groups, the media and the private sector – to join hands and fight corruption. In this context, UNCAC is seen as a key blueprint for guiding Government, private sector and civil society anti-corruption initiatives.

For more information, contact Patrick Keuleers, email patrick.keuleers@undp.org or Pauline Tamesis, email pauline.tamesis@undp.org in Bangkok on +66 2 288 2790.