Corruption is a major obstacle to social and economic development and increases the cost of doing business.
APEC Leaders acknowledged the threat that corruption poses to good governance and economic growth in the Asia-Pacific when they met in Santiago, Chile in 2004. They agreed that APEC economies should nurture and sustain good governance, economic development and prosperity by working together to fight corruption and ensure transparency.
The following year an Anti-Corruption and Transparency Experts' Task Force (ACT) was established. Recognizing the importance of its work, the ACT was upgraded in status to a working group in March 2011. The purpose of the ACT is to coordinate the implementation of the Santiago Commitment, the APEC Course of Action and the APEC Transparency Standards. It also promotes cooperation in areas such as extradition, legal assistance and judicial/law enforcement (especially asset forfeiture and recovery).
The ACT is open to anti-corruption experts and law enforcement officials from all interested APEC member economies, APEC Observers (namely ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum, and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council), and representatives from the APEC Secretariat and the APEC Business Advisory Council.
More information on the purpose, structure and administration of the ACT is available in the APEC Anti-Corruption and Transparency Experts' Task Force Terms of Reference (see Downloads).
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In 2007, the ACT developed a Code of Conduct for Business;
Conduct Principles for Public Officials; and
Complementary Anti-Corruption Principles for the Public and Private Sectors. APEC Leaders endorsed these codes, as well as the
2007 Statement on Actions for Fighting Corruption through Improved International Legal Cooperation. These codes are being implemented through the provision of capacity building seminars to government and law enforcement officials, civil society representatives, chambers of commerce and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
In 2009, the ACT focused on governance and anti-corruption. ACT members agreed on the following two documents, which were endorsed by APEC Ministers in November 2009:
- Singapore Declaration on Combating Corruption, Strengthening Governance and Enhancing Institutional Integrity; and
- APEC Guidelines on Enhancing Governance and Anti-Corruption.
The Singapore Declaration reaffirms the commitment of APEC economies towards creating a framework of transparency and accountability to strengthen governance and institutional integrity.
The APEC Guidelines makes recommendations on the following areas broadly:
- Establishing legal, enforcement and regulatory frameworks;
- Cultivating a culture of governance and anti-corruption across all sectors;
- Implementing measures, processes and standards that promote transparency and accountability;
- Enhancing public-private sector cooperation and dialogue.
In November 2010, APEC Leaders met in Yokohama, Japan and adopted “The Yokohama Vision – Bogor and Beyond,” which provides a roadmap for member economies to realize the collective vision of an economically-integrated, robust and secure APEC community in the 21st Century. In the Declaration, APEC Leaders recommitted to continue efforts to fight corruption and promote transparency, including leveraging collective action to combat illicit trade and dismantle transnational illicit networks across the Asia-Pacific region. APEC Leaders also called for improved and regular reporting by APEC on its efforts to meet our commitments in this area to build a secure community in the region.
The ACT held its first meeting of 2012 in February in Moscow, Russia. Key outcomes of the meeting include:
- The approval of the 2012 ACT Work Plan that include focusing on promoting the implementation of the existing APEC commitments, including the Santiago Commitment to Fight Corruption and Ensure Transparency, APEC Course of Action on Fighting Corruption and Ensuring Transparency, as well as other anti-corruption and transparency commitments made over the years.
- A Workshop on Effectively Combating Corruption and Illicit Trade through Tracking Cross–Border Financial Flows, International Asset Recovery and Anti-Money laundering Efforts: Its Impact on Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth will be held on July 10 -11, 2012 in Phuket, Thailand.
- A Multi-year project, "Capacity-Building Workshops on Designing Best Models on Prosecuting Corruption and Money Laundering Cases Using Financial Flow Tracking Techniques and Investigative Intelligence for Effective Conviction and Asset Recovery to Promote Regional Economic Growth" will be implemented. The project, proposed by Chile and Thailand, was welcomed by the ACTWG members and supported by more than 11 economies.
- Several economies reported on development on implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and other Initiatives related to Anti-corruption and Transparency.
- OECD representatives made a presentation, highlighting some relevant articles on its Anti-Bribery Convention.
- Members decided that the initiative on the ACT-ABAC dialogue would be elaborated intersessionally.
- The draft of an Anticorruption Declaration will be prepared by Russia and circulated to ACTWG members.
- The initiative on the Workshop on Fighting Corruption in Business Transactions was supported by ACT members. It will be held in Kazan, May 2012 with participation of the OECD and other international organizations.
- Members discussed the “APEC ACT Outcomes and Deliverables in 2012” and “2011 AELM Commitment: Regular Reporting and Progress on Implementing APEC Commitments: ACT Reporting Template.”
The ACT has undertaken a number of activities and projects in 2010-2011, including:
The "Workshop on Successful Training Techniques for Implementing the Principles of Conduct for Public Officials" was held in Sendai, Japan in September 2010. Government officials, experts, and anti-corruption practitioners from APEC economies discussed innovative and effective anti-corruption training techniques to enhance understanding of anti-corruption standards and conduct.
The "ACT-ABAC Roundtable Meeting on Fighting Corruption and Market Integrity" was held in Sendai, Japan in September 2010. This meeting responded to the ACT 2010 work plan and APEC Leaders' recognition that good governance measures and anti-corruption actions, as well as public-private partnerships, enhanced governance, institutional integrity and combating corruption. At the roundtable, the current ACT Chair previewed the group’s work in 2011 on combating corruption and illicit trade in his concluding remarks.
In 2011, building on the ACT’s recent progress and achievements, the ACT will develop more robust strategies and actions that are consistent with its five-year 2010-2015 medium-term work plan.
The ACT will also put into action the call by APEC Leaders to strengthen cooperation to combat corruption – from preventing and prosecuting corruption to fulfilling our commitments related to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and combating corruption and illicit trade.
The 12th ACT Meeting was held in Washington, DC, USA, in March 2011. The ACT also co-hosted the “APEC Dialogue on Corruption and Illicit Trade: Combating Counterfeit (Falsified) Medicines and Strengthening Supply Chain Integrity.” The next ACT Meeting will be held in San Francisco, California, USA, in September 2011.
Timur EYVAZOV (Mr)
Chair
Deputy Director
Department of Economic Cooperation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Russia
Tel: +7 499 241 2898
Fax: +7 499 795 1088
Email:
Sergio NAREA (Mr)
Program Director
APEC Secretariat
Email: