Marking 2014 Intl Anti-Corruption Day (9 December) -- AP-INTACT members share updates
[Note: AP-INTACT is the Asia-Pacific Integrity in Action Network, a moderated listserve facilitated by the Bangkok Regional Hub, United Nations Development Programme. To join AP-INTACT, please email ap-intact@groups.undp.org].
Shared by Rinchen Namgay, Corporate Services, Anti-Corruption Commission, Bhutan:
International Anti-Corruption Day in Bhutan was observed with a Photo Contest themed “Our Issues, Our Solutions” focused on transparency, accountability and integrity organized by the Youth Media Center (YMC). The event was graced by the Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
About 70 individuals attended the event comprising of officials from government, members from civil society organizations, youth volunteers, and media. The event was organized by YMC in collaboration with the ACC with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The photo contest was organized with the aim to engage youth and individuals from different sectors of the society to depict their voices through the platform of photography to address corruption issues with their solutions.
A business entity dedicated towards promoting standards code of ethics in all the business transactions by upholding the values of transparency, accountability and integrity called "Enterprise 1" was also launched by the Chairperson of the ACC.
Read the story and see the photos in the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bhutan's website: http://www.anti-corruption.org.bt/?q=node/1386
Shared by Zafar Iqbal Khan, Director, International Cooperation Wing, National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan:
The National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan (Punjab Chapter) is observing Anti-Corruption week from 8 to 13 December 2014 to mark solidarity with the international community in its fight against corruption. NAB Lahore has chalked out a series of awareness activities during the week including declamation contests; painting / poster / essay writing / poetry / singing competitions; and tableau shows, based on different Anti-Corruption themes, among students across the province of Punjab.
On 9 December, the grand final of the declamation contest (Urdu and English) was held. Thirty-three shortlisted candidates from secondary schools of Punjab province participated in the final contest held at Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, where more than 300 people from different walks of life were in attendance. Director General NAB Lahore graced the occasion as Chief Guest, who appreciated the courage and efforts of all the contestants. Winners of the declamation contest in each category were awarded merit certificates and cash prizes.
Shared by Ahjung Lee, UNDP Seoul Policy Center:
"Corruption remains a serious global challenge that impedes development and promotes inequality and injustice. Corruption undermines fundamental human rights, exacerbates poverty, and degrades the environment. It diverts money sorely needed by our societies for health care, education and other essential services. It increases the costs of doing business, distorts markets and impedes economic growth." -- From an op-ed by Anne Marie Sloth Carlsen, Director of the UNDP Seoul Policy Center.
Read Anne Marie Sloth Carlsen's full op-ed in The Korea Herald. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20141208001097
Shared by Michael Alpern, Team Lead - Public Affairs/Public Diplomacy, INL Bureau, U.S. Department of State:
To mark International Anti-Corruption Day, the U.S. State Department has launched a few public resources:
- "State In 60 Seconds" video clip, explaining the global fight in one brief minute - http://blogs.state.gov/stories/2014/12/08/state-60-seconds-video-anti-corruption
- HuffPost joint op-ed, by State and the Justice Department - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leslie-r-caldwell/the-international-fight-t_b_6292036.html
- Series of tweets at @StateINL.
Shared by Kwanpadh Suddhi-Dhamakit, Programme Analyst, UNDP Thailand:
Thailand must change its laws to fully comply with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), according to anti-graft commissioner Phakdee Photisiri, during an event to mark International Anti-Corruption Day (9 December). Mr Phakdee said legal changes are necessary to enable transnational cooperation to fight crimes of corruption that transcend borders. He said Thailand must ensure its laws comply with the UNCAC, which requires countries to extradite offenders and provide mutual legal assistance in gathering and transferring evidence for use in court cases.
Read the story by Ariane Kupferman-Sutthavong, in Bangkok Post. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/448620/graft-laws-fall-short-of-un-bar
Shared by Supaporn Daophises, Knowledge Management Associate, Bangkok Regional Hub, UNDP:
At a gathering to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) chairman Panthep Klanarongran stressed that every Thai citizen's determination and cooperation were essential in fighting graft and creating a corruption-free society.
Such community action is necessary for the Kingdom's development and position in the international arena, he said. Panthep said prevention was as important as prosecution of corruption cases, as law enforcement alone was not enough to solve the problem.
Read the story in The Nation. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/webmobile/politics/NACC-expects-milestone-year-in-fight-against-graft-30249509.html
Shared by Liviana Zorzi, Bangkok Regional Hub, UNDP:
A hundred people marched today around the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) of Thailand: a parade to raise awareness of the harmful effects of corruption and the importance of involving the wide participation of stakeholders to promote more transparency and accountability in government. At the same time, NACC hosted a high level panel discussion on “Winning the war against corruption: international experiences” that attracted over 200 stakeholders from different sectors of society.
The NACC Commissioner, Prof. Pakdee Pothisiri, reflected on how the lessons learnt from the past experience in implementing the anti-corruption strategy have been incorporated of the new strategy. These include: ensuring an adequate allocation of funds; the need to improve and update the current anti-corruption laws to comply with the UNCAC; the new focus on prevention, with awareness raising campaign targeting mainly children and young people.
H.E. Paul Robilliard, Ambassador of Australia To Thailand, presented the institutional framework and main tools to combat corruption in his country. He stressed the importance of a genuine political will to drive those institutions, to involve the private sector and to empower civil society.
Elodie Beth Seo, UNDP Regional Anti-Corruption Advisor, highlighted examples of success in developing anti-corruption strategies in the Asia Pacific region based on the findings of a new report “Anticorruption strategies: Understanding what works, what doesn’t and why”. She emphasized the progress made in recent years in breaking the taboo about corruption: now we can speak about it, everyone can get involved against it. Anti-corruption is not a field restricted to experts: it is an area where each individual can play a crucial role speaking, reporting, and acting against a phenomenon that affects the lives of millions.
Shared by the Global Secretariat, Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC):
On International Anti-Corruption Day, 9 December, the Global Organizations of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) launched #PreventProsecuteParalyze, a global campaign to mobilise citizens across the world to support the creation of an international tool for the prosecution of perpetrators of grand corruption. The global campaign includes a website where citizens can make their voices heard through a letter writing campaign, calling for the creation of universal jurisdiction legislation at the national level to help prosecute perpetrators of grand corruption. The site also includes a petition that will be forwarded to the United Nations and other international institutions to advocate for the development of an international mechanism to prosecute and sentence those who have committed crimes of grand corruption.
Shared by Rinchen Namgay, Corporate Services, Anti-Corruption Commission, Bhutan:
International Anti-Corruption Day in Bhutan was observed with a Photo Contest themed “Our Issues, Our Solutions” focused on transparency, accountability and integrity organized by the Youth Media Center (YMC). The event was graced by the Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
About 70 individuals attended the event comprising of officials from government, members from civil society organizations, youth volunteers, and media. The event was organized by YMC in collaboration with the ACC with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The photo contest was organized with the aim to engage youth and individuals from different sectors of the society to depict their voices through the platform of photography to address corruption issues with their solutions.
A business entity dedicated towards promoting standards code of ethics in all the business transactions by upholding the values of transparency, accountability and integrity called "Enterprise 1" was also launched by the Chairperson of the ACC.
Read the story and see the photos in the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bhutan's website: http://www.anti-corruption.org.bt/?q=node/1386
Shared by Zafar Iqbal Khan, Director, International Cooperation Wing, National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan:
The National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan (Punjab Chapter) is observing Anti-Corruption week from 8 to 13 December 2014 to mark solidarity with the international community in its fight against corruption. NAB Lahore has chalked out a series of awareness activities during the week including declamation contests; painting / poster / essay writing / poetry / singing competitions; and tableau shows, based on different Anti-Corruption themes, among students across the province of Punjab.
On 9 December, the grand final of the declamation contest (Urdu and English) was held. Thirty-three shortlisted candidates from secondary schools of Punjab province participated in the final contest held at Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, where more than 300 people from different walks of life were in attendance. Director General NAB Lahore graced the occasion as Chief Guest, who appreciated the courage and efforts of all the contestants. Winners of the declamation contest in each category were awarded merit certificates and cash prizes.
Shared by Ahjung Lee, UNDP Seoul Policy Center:
"Corruption remains a serious global challenge that impedes development and promotes inequality and injustice. Corruption undermines fundamental human rights, exacerbates poverty, and degrades the environment. It diverts money sorely needed by our societies for health care, education and other essential services. It increases the costs of doing business, distorts markets and impedes economic growth." -- From an op-ed by Anne Marie Sloth Carlsen, Director of the UNDP Seoul Policy Center.
Read Anne Marie Sloth Carlsen's full op-ed in The Korea Herald. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20141208001097
Shared by Michael Alpern, Team Lead - Public Affairs/Public Diplomacy, INL Bureau, U.S. Department of State:
To mark International Anti-Corruption Day, the U.S. State Department has launched a few public resources:
- "State In 60 Seconds" video clip, explaining the global fight in one brief minute - http://blogs.state.gov/stories/2014/12/08/state-60-seconds-video-anti-corruption
- HuffPost joint op-ed, by State and the Justice Department - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leslie-r-caldwell/the-international-fight-t_b_6292036.html
- Series of tweets at @StateINL.
Shared by Kwanpadh Suddhi-Dhamakit, Programme Analyst, UNDP Thailand:
Thailand must change its laws to fully comply with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), according to anti-graft commissioner Phakdee Photisiri, during an event to mark International Anti-Corruption Day (9 December). Mr Phakdee said legal changes are necessary to enable transnational cooperation to fight crimes of corruption that transcend borders. He said Thailand must ensure its laws comply with the UNCAC, which requires countries to extradite offenders and provide mutual legal assistance in gathering and transferring evidence for use in court cases.
Read the story by Ariane Kupferman-Sutthavong, in Bangkok Post. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/448620/graft-laws-fall-short-of-un-bar
Shared by Supaporn Daophises, Knowledge Management Associate, Bangkok Regional Hub, UNDP:
At a gathering to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) chairman Panthep Klanarongran stressed that every Thai citizen's determination and cooperation were essential in fighting graft and creating a corruption-free society.
Such community action is necessary for the Kingdom's development and position in the international arena, he said. Panthep said prevention was as important as prosecution of corruption cases, as law enforcement alone was not enough to solve the problem.
Read the story in The Nation. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/webmobile/politics/NACC-expects-milestone-year-in-fight-against-graft-30249509.html
Shared by Liviana Zorzi, Bangkok Regional Hub, UNDP:
A hundred people marched today around the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) of Thailand: a parade to raise awareness of the harmful effects of corruption and the importance of involving the wide participation of stakeholders to promote more transparency and accountability in government. At the same time, NACC hosted a high level panel discussion on “Winning the war against corruption: international experiences” that attracted over 200 stakeholders from different sectors of society.
The NACC Commissioner, Prof. Pakdee Pothisiri, reflected on how the lessons learnt from the past experience in implementing the anti-corruption strategy have been incorporated of the new strategy. These include: ensuring an adequate allocation of funds; the need to improve and update the current anti-corruption laws to comply with the UNCAC; the new focus on prevention, with awareness raising campaign targeting mainly children and young people.
H.E. Paul Robilliard, Ambassador of Australia To Thailand, presented the institutional framework and main tools to combat corruption in his country. He stressed the importance of a genuine political will to drive those institutions, to involve the private sector and to empower civil society.
Elodie Beth Seo, UNDP Regional Anti-Corruption Advisor, highlighted examples of success in developing anti-corruption strategies in the Asia Pacific region based on the findings of a new report “Anticorruption strategies: Understanding what works, what doesn’t and why”. She emphasized the progress made in recent years in breaking the taboo about corruption: now we can speak about it, everyone can get involved against it. Anti-corruption is not a field restricted to experts: it is an area where each individual can play a crucial role speaking, reporting, and acting against a phenomenon that affects the lives of millions.
Shared by the Global Secretariat, Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC):
On International Anti-Corruption Day, 9 December, the Global Organizations of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) launched #PreventProsecuteParalyze, a global campaign to mobilise citizens across the world to support the creation of an international tool for the prosecution of perpetrators of grand corruption. The global campaign includes a website where citizens can make their voices heard through a letter writing campaign, calling for the creation of universal jurisdiction legislation at the national level to help prosecute perpetrators of grand corruption. The site also includes a petition that will be forwarded to the United Nations and other international institutions to advocate for the development of an international mechanism to prosecute and sentence those who have committed crimes of grand corruption.