|
Capacity Building and Experts Meetings
|
This website is no longer updated. Please refer to the Initiative's new website at www.oecd.org/corruption/asiapacific |
|
Capacity building and exchange of experience are two central means through which the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative supports the endorsing countries' efforts in implementing their commitment under the Action Plan and in building effective and sustainable anti-corruption mechanisms and institutions. In this objective, the Initiative holds master training seminars to address issues that the countries have identified to be of particular concern. Its regional Anti-Corruption Conferences also feature capacity building workshops. In reaction to the Tsunami disaster in 2004, the Initiative organized, in cooperation with Transparency International, an ad hoc International Experts Meeting on addressing corruption risks in tsunami relief efforts. In addition to these events organized by the Initiative's Secretariat, the endorsing countries and its partner organizations represented in the Advisory Group conduct capacity building seminars at regional or subregional levels.
© OECD Anti-Corruption Division, 2004, updated 26 March 2007 -- contact us -- sitemap |
|
|
Upon request of the countries that have endorsed the Anti-Corruption Action Plan for Asia-Pacific, the Initiative's Secretariat has launched a series of master training seminars. The first seminar of this series was held in February 2003 and addressed effective prosecution of corruption; the second training addressed the topic of curbing corruption in public procurement and was conducted in July 2004. The third training seminar aimed at analyzing requirements and reforms to implement the UN Convention against Corruption. In addition to these trainings, the Initiative convened an expert meeting on corruption prevention in tsunami relief operations in cooperation with Transparency International; this meeting took place on 7-8 April 2005.
Denying Safe Haven to Corruption and its Assets Success in the fight against corruption depends more and more on international cooperation. Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors increasingly need to seek extradition of fugitives or gather evidence from abroad in corruption cases. Yet, many practitioners decry weaknesses and inefficiencies in mutual legal assistance and extradition arrangements. The Initiative’s 25 member countries have thus decided to take action to overcome these problems by calling for a high level training seminar on the matter.
The
Initiative's 4th training seminar sought to strengthen capacity of
practitioners in the area of extradition and mutual legal assistance in
investigating and prosecuting corruption; to identify obstacles and problems
that arise in practice and to discuss possible solutions; to identify
priorities for reform that would strengthen and improve legal assistance and
extradition; and to bring together experts and practitioners to enhance
common understanding, exchange best practices and establish deeper contacts.
The seminar was
conducted on 28-30 March 2006 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
in cooperation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and
with support from the American Bar Association/Asia-Law Initiative. It was
hosted by the Anti-Corruption Agency of Malaysia and held in the premises of
the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Academy.
Meeting international anti-corruption standards The recent signature of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) by many of the Initiative’s members has created the need for certain legal and institutional adjustments in preparation of the instrument’s ratification. As the UN Convention and the Anti-Corruption Action Plan for Asia-Pacific have important similarities in terms of involved actors, thematic coverage and means to achieve their common goal to eliminate corruption, the two instruments have great potential for synergy. Taking advantage of this synergy, the seminar addressed obligations resulting for Asian and Pacific countries from the ratification of the UN-Convention against Corruption, discussed selected mandatory provisions of the UN Convention which are of high priority in the Asian and Pacific countries’ efforts against corruption, and explored how the ADB/OECD Initiative can assist endorsing countries in this reform process. The seminar was conducted on 14-17 February 2005 in cooperation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and hosted by the National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan.
|
|
|
Curbing Corruption in Public Procurement
Corruption and
related fraudulent practices in public procurement cause grave loss to most
of the region’s countries. They entail tremendous waste of public resources,
undermine trust in the public service, and aggravate poverty. To effectively
counter these problems, the Initiative's 2nd master
training seminar aimed to
build capacity in identifying corruption risks at each step of
the procurement
process and designing corresponding remedies, thereby supporting countries’ overall
efforts to enhance transparency and improve efficiency of procurement
procedures and practices.
The seminar was held on 7-9 July
2004 in Manila,
Philippines.
|
|
|
Effective Prosecution of Corruption Prosecution of corruption is a particularly difficult endeavor and success in this field is still too rare. The detection rate is often low due to the lack of verifiable information. Particular difficulties arise when an investigation involves prominent politicians and wealthy businessmen, or when dealing with international bribery cases that require the assistance from foreign jurisdictions in order to collect evidence. Shortcomings that are at the root of these problems can be found at legislative level. In addition, many law enforcement agencies are technically not apt to successfully deal with complex crimes such as corruption. The training seminar, held on 11-13 February 2003 in Ghaziabad, India, and hosted by the Government of India, assembled 32 representatives of prosecution agencies and specialized investigation units from 14 countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
|
|
|
In the aim to provide additional assistance towards capacity building, to foster the exchange of experience, and by doing so to reach a broad scope of experts from the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, the Initiative also includes a number of training workshops in the agenda of its bi-annual regional conferences.
Workshops held during the 5th Regional Anti-Corruption-Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Beijing, P.R. China, from 28-30 September 2005 addressed the following issues that had previously been identified by participating countries as being of particular importance to the region:
As the proceedings of the Conference are still under preparation, please refer to the conference page to read the experts' presentations held in these workshops.
Training seminars held at the 4th Regional Anti-Corruption-Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 3-5 December 2003 addressed a number of anti-corruption issues which had previously been identified by participating countries as being of particular importance to the region, including:
The proceedings of the conference summarize the experience shared during the workshops.
|
|
|
Countries that have endorsed the Anti-Corruption Action Plan for Asia-Pacific have strengthened their cooperation and partnership in various ways. Common trainings and seminars constitute an important means in this respect.
April 20-22, 2004, Islamabad, Pakistan In the aim to increase awareness about the UN Convention against Corruption at national and regional levels and to prepare its ratification by the countries of the region, the National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan, the country's apex anti-corruption body, organized a seminar on the UN Convention against Corruption in April 2004. The conference, held in Islamabad, Pakistan, gathered official delegations from countries that have endorsed the Anti-Corruption Action Plan for Asia-Pacific and from member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), members from the Secretariat of the ADB/OECD Initiative, as well as international experts involved in the fight against corruption. The conference addressed various issues under the UN Convention, as for instance participation of civil society, international cooperation, and preventive anti-corruption policies and practices.
|
|
|
An important tool through which the Initiative aims to react to the countries' need for capacity building involves training provided by the Initiative’s partners, particularly those provided by Advisory Group members. Such training is implemented in particular at the country level, and -while they are organized in consultation with the Secretariat so as to avoid overlaps and duplication-, they constitute an important element of direct support from partners to countries’ Action Plan implementation efforts.
Association of Mongolian Advocates
(AMA) Training Workshop May 24, 26, 28, 31 and June 1, 3, 2004, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia In the aim to create an autonomous and independent professional bar in Mongolia, the American Bar Association-Asia Law Initiative and the Association of Mongolian Advocates (AMA) jointly held six one-day legal ethics training workshops in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in May and June 2004. The workshop provided a forum for advocates to discuss legal ethics, a system of discipline, and the role of advocates in the legal system. Experts from the U.S. and Japan provided a comparative perspective and shared relevant experiences, problems and solutions. Topics for the training included an overview of the Mongolian Advocates Code of Ethics; practical issues associated with the implementation of the code, including an analysis of case studies, group presentations and discussions; the advocates’ role in the enforcement of the codes of ethics for judges and prosecutors; and ways to improve the substance and implementation of the code, which incorporated small group discussions and presentations.
|
|
|
|
The Initiative's
master training seminars