Anti-Corruption and Transparency

In Los Cabos in 2002 and in Bangkok in 2003, APEC Economic Leaders committed to implementing general and area-specific APEC Transparency Standards. In November 2004 in Chile, APEC Leaders acknowledged that corruption is a serious threat to APEC Agenda and priorities to sustainable economic growth, good governance, market integrity and enhanced trade and investment in the Pacific Region and they agreed that APEC could make a difference by working together to fight corruption and promote transparency in the Asia Pacific region.

In this regard, and given the crosscutting nature of activities related to combating corruption and ensuring transparency, there was a need for a procedural structure to promote and coordinate this matter within APEC framework. In 2005, APEC Senior Officials established the Anti-Corruption Experts’ Task Force, which was upgraded to a Working Group in March 2011, following a 2010 recommendation from its members to institutionalize its work. The last update of the Terms of Reference of the Group was made in February 2018. The ACTWG Strategic Plan for 2019-2022 can be accessed here.

The Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group (ACTWG) is tasked to coordinate the implementation of the Santiago Commitment to Fight Corruption and Ensure Transparency (2004), the APEC Course of Action on Fighting Corruption (2004) and the APEC Transparency Standards. It also has the purpose to facilitate the implementation of the United Nations against Corruption (UNCAC). In 2014, the Working Group adopted the Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption.

Observing the urgent demand for enhancing join efforts against transnational corruption and considering the necessity to advance greater collaboration and cross-border coordination between APEC economies in the region, the ACTWG established a Network of Anti-Corruption Authorities and Law Enforcements Agencies (ACT-NET) during its 17^th Meeting in Indonesia, 2013. As a subsidiary body, ACT-NET reports annually to the ACT Chair and ACTWG on its activities.

The ACT-NET aims to supplement existing cooperation programs and assist in the implementation of ACTWG’s decisions and other international initiatives against corruption. Consistent with each economy’s legal system, it provides an informal platform for bilateral—or multilateral if appropriate—case cooperation in the areas of corruption, bribery, money laundering, and illicit trade. In conjunction with the ACTWG, it will coordinate with other anti-corruption organizations and activities to facilitate contact, communication, and capacity building among regional anti-corruption partners, and advance pragmatic cooperation in fighting corruption, bribery, money laundering, and illicit trade. The Terms of Reference of the Network can be accessed here.

Last page update: May 2019

Current Activities

The ACTWG had its 28^th Plenary Meeting on the 1^st and 2^nd of March 2019 in Santiago de Chile. Ms. Marta Herrera, Director of Specialized Unit of Anti-Corruption – Public Prosecutor Office (Chile)- chaired the Meeting.

In the meetings, members reported on their progress and developments regarding the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption, and other international compromises related to anti-corruption and transparency. ACTWG also approved its Workplan 2019 proposed by Chile, which contains several activities and actions that will be carried out this year, among them, the celebration of the 15 years of the Group’s establishment. ACTWG discussed actively how to move its work forward to continue implementing its commitments, strengthening cooperation and promoting cross-border coordination between APEC Member economies. Representatives of UNDP, UNODC, Transparency International and World Bank, attended the meeting and discussed with ACTWG members on further collaboration in anti-corruption and transparency initiatives at the regional and global level.

Two side events leaded by Chile took place in the margins of the 28^th ACTWG Plenary Meeting: a) self-funded Workshop “on Digital Governance, Integrity Policies and Corruption Prevention Mechanisms in APEC Economies” on February 27; and a Cross-Fora Collaboration Meeting (28 February). In this Meeting, ACTWG members interacted with other APEC Foras representatives to identify areas where further coordination can be developed: Customs (SCCP), Gender (PPWE) and SMEs (SMEsWG).

The ACT-NET held its 5^th Plenary Meeting in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in August 2018. In the meeting, chaired by Ms Jena Kuliniasi (Papua New Guinea), law enforcement officials and representatives from APEC Member economies shared information on anti-money laundering and asset recovery cases, and domestic working mechanisms on cooperation across borders on bribery related cases. ACT-NET discussed the importance of ensuring intra-government and cross-border cooperation to tackle the challenges faced by APEC economies and to advance greater collaboration among anti-corruption authorities and law enforcement agencies in the Asia-Pacific region.

The next plenary meetings of the ACTWG and ACT-NET will be held in Chile in August 2019 (SOM 3).

Key Deliverables