|
Plenary 2 – Recent policy developments in Asia and the Pacific
Recent policy
developments in the Asia-Pacific region were assessed in the 2005 edition of
the stocktaking report on anti-corruption policies in 25 Asian and Pacific
countries and the Initiative’s first comparative overview on legal and
institutional measures to combat corruption in public procurement in the
Asia-Pacific region. These developments will be introduced by the
Secretariat, followed by country-specific presentations highlighting the
latest and most innovative anti-corruption reform policies undertaken by
Initiative’s member countries. Such reforms often require external support
to supplement domestic resources. Consequently, donor strategies in support
of such efforts in the Asia-Pacific region are important and will also be
presented in this session.
Capacity building workshops I – Setting the scene
for effective anti-corruption reform
The experience of the
Initiative’s member countries in implementing the Anti-Corruption Action
Plan shows that anti-corruption reform is most effective when it is the
fruit of a strategic plan rather than the result of ad hoc decisions.
Countries have also experienced that, ideally, an in-depth assessment of the
nature and extent of corruption and the relative strengths and weaknesses of
relevant governmental and societal elements should precede the development
of a strategic plan. Such an assessment allows for the definition of stages
and priorities in the reform process and helps ensure that the process
remain focused and targeted. Early consultation with external partners,
donors in particular, is also considered useful. Finally, donors themselves
can contribute to enhancing the comprehensiveness of domestic
anti-corruption strategies by ensuring a certain level of cooperation and
coordination within the local donor community and by agreeing on a number of
underlying principles for anti-corruption reform assistance.
Workshop A: How can
public opinion surveys assist in preparing anti-corruption reform?
Public opinion surveys are
tools that can be used to frame and advance administrative reforms and gauge
perceptions of citizens as well as public servants. Data obtained through
surveys from citizens or private sector participants on their perceptions
can assist in raising awareness and foster public discussion about
corruption. If surveys can motivate a discussion of the root causes and
impacts of corruption as well as potential remedies, they serve the useful
purpose of increasing public pressure for change and trigger reform.
Governments commission surveys to seek opinions of those affected by them.
Think tanks, NGOs and research institutions also administer surveys to
assess the level of corruption across specific sectors of the administration
and types of public-private interactions. Reliable data collected using
established social science methodology can assist policymakers to prioritize
and target anti-corruption reforms in response to citizens' concerns.
This session will
introduce participants to public opinion surveys as information tools to be
used by governments in designing and implementing reforms in general, and
will then seek to present and evaluate different types of corruption surveys
and their use and applicability, showcasing findings from a country level
survey (Malaysia) as well as results from multi-country surveys of
corruption (Transparency International's Corruption perception Index).
Workshop B: Effective donor support for
anti-corruption reform in developing countries
Donors’ support to
anti-corruption reforms in the Asia-Pacific region is sometimes perceived by
recipient countries as limited in its effectiveness due to competing
priorities within the donor community. Increasingly, weak cooperation and
coordination among donors and piecemeal approaches have also been seen to
undermine the effectiveness of aid. Donor groups such as the OECD
Development Assistance Committee’s Network on Governance (GOVNET) have
identified principles for action to address these issues and react to the
need for donors to be more effective within existing mechanisms. These
principles outline how donors should work together to ensure that corruption
is systematically addressed in partner countries including through the
implementation of international conventions and principles, such as the
ADB/OECD Initiative’s Action Plan. This enhanced collective action should
lead to a more effective use of financial resources with a view to
increasing the chances of meeting development goals and enhancing the
efficiency of domestic anti-corruption strategies.
This session will consider
different types of donor assistance strategies in the area of
anti-corruption in response to Asian and Pacific countries’ needs and
priorities, as well as ways to enhance donor cohesion and efficiency of
donor action.
Capacity building workshops II – Developing targeted
tools to address corruption risk zones
Depending on the degree
of interaction between public and private actors, or the level of kickbacks
and bribery potentially available, certain sectors, procedures, or actions
within a public administration are by their very nature more vulnerable to
corruption than others. The tsunami that hit South and Southeast Asia in
December 2004, and the resulting large financial and in-kind assistance
provided to affected communities has drawn public attention to risks for
corruption inherent to humanitarian relief and reconstruction operations.
Another area of growing concern in the region is the potential conflict
between public officials’ public obligations and responsibilities and
his/her private interests. This conflict of interests has been observed in
Asia-Pacific countries to bring about, directly or indirectly, many
instances of corruption of public officials. Asian and Pacific countries
have consequently engaged in developing strategies to address such
particularly exposed areas.
Workshop C: Preventing corruption in
humanitarian relief operations
The Indian Ocean tsunami
in December 2004 was one of the worst natural calamities of recent times. As
befits a disaster of such magnitude, the humanitarian response was massive.
At the same time, concerns that corruption may undermine the effectiveness
of reconstruction efforts were voiced. The important amounts of money
involved and the urgent need for speedy assistance contributed to these
widespread fears. To address these concerns, the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption
Initiative and Transparency International, together with the Government of
Indonesia, organized an expert meeting on corruption prevention in tsunami
relief in Jakarta in April 2005. At that meeting, representatives from all
involved stakeholder groups identified several principles for action to be
followed in relief and reconstruction efforts related to natural disasters,
in order to heighten preparedness for the risk of corruption in humanitarian
relief in the future.
Participants in this
session will discuss the main findings of the Jakarta Expert meeting from
the perspective of governments, donors and NGOs with a view to contributing
to the development of guidelines for preventing corruption in humanitarian
relief and reconstruction. These guidelines, as well as a roadmap for their
implementation, will be prepared by the ADB/OECD Initiative and Transparency
International in consultation with relevant humanitarian relief agencies,
donor agencies, NGOs and governments.
Workshop D: Conflict of interest typologies
Rapid changes in the
working environment of Asian and Pacific countries’ public services, such as
the emergence of new models of cooperation with the business sector,
public-private partnerships and increased mobility of personnel between the
two sectors, more and more impact the practices and policies to manage
conflicts of interest. In such a changing environment, a growing number of
countries have come to recognize the need to review important concepts such
as the definition of public or private interest, and what constitutes a
clash of those interests. In some instances, it may also be necessary to
develop new rules and practices for certain sectors, official positions or
procedures that are particularly exposed to corruption. Appropriate policies
regulating conflict of interest situations arising in post-public employment
situations are also becoming an increasingly high priority issue.
Based on actual situations
of conflict of interest in selected member countries and jurisdictions of
the ADB/OECD Initiative, and with reference to OECD countries’ policies and
practices in this area, the session will seek to define a number of conflict
of interest typologies to assist countries in designing and implementing
corresponding preventive measures.
Capacity building workshops III – Working together
for change
Corruption has a direct
impact on all groups of a society; it reduces the quality of public service,
deviates public funds from their intended purpose, hinders business and
undermines social welfare and economic growth. Consequently, all concerned
stakeholders have a vested interest and a shared responsibility to fight
corruption. Particular responsibility lies at national level, within
governments and the private sector, as corruption often results directly
from these actors behavior. As criminals increasingly exploit the systemic
weaknesses in third countries to hide illegal transactions and escape
prosecution at home, responsibility for combating corruption today reaches
well beyond national borders.
Workshop E: Creating a supportive environment for business integrity
An increasing number of
Asia-Pacific governments have acknowledged the fact that there is more to
the fight against corruption than targeting corruption in the public sector.
As part of their larger effort to combat corruption of their own public
officials, a growing number of countries have begun to resort to the
regulation of corporate accounting and auditing. Other solutions include the
promotion of the development of business codes of conduct and/or public
information activities on business ethics that aim to improve the integrity
of business transactions in public contracts and other public-decision
making. Such efforts are increasingly being complemented by business ethics
initiatives in the private sector. This session will seek to identify
measures, to be taken by governments in partnership with domestic and
foreign companies doing business in their jurisdictions, to strengthen
regulations, policies and practices with the view to promoting an
environment that is more supportive of business ethics.
Workshop F: Denying safe havens through regional and worldwide judicial
cooperation
Corruption that affects
Asia-Pacific countries has increasingly become a problem that knows no
boundaries. Criminals have been exploiting systemic weaknesses (e.g. lagging
law enforcement, complex or lax mutual legal assistance regulations) to
disguise corrupt funds abroad and escape prosecution. Leaving criminal
groups with no place to benefit from corruption is therefore a major
challenge. Effective international judicial assistance, in particular
effective procedures for seizure, confiscation and return of proceeds of
corruption as well as for extradition, is increasingly seen as both an
effective deterrent to corruption as well as a crucial pre-condition for
effective law enforcement. Responsibility for ensuring the effective
functioning of such procedures on an international scale is shared between
developing countries, where proceeds of corruption often originate, and
developed countries, many of which continue to provide safe havens for both
criminals and the deposit of their illegally-gained assets.
This session will discuss
weak elements in existing arrangements for mutual legal assistance in the
above areas and will seek to identify measures that could help close the
avenue of corruption.
Plenary 3 – Defining the avenues for future anti-corruption reforms in
the Asia-Pacific region
The final session will
provide an overview of the critical issues identified by participants in
relation to the six themes addressed during the capacity building workshops
in order to help define possible future steps to be taken at the national,
regional and international level.. Results from this panel discussion will
be included in the draft conference conclusions and recommendations to be
presented in the final session to guide future anti-corruption work as it
relates to the Asia and Pacific region.
|
Conference Conclusions and Recommendations for Further Actions
conclusions and recommendations
Return to the Initiative's main page
