Anti-Corruption and Transparency

APEC Senior Officials established the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Experts Working Group (ACTWG), firstly as an “Anti-Corruption Task Force,” in 2004 in Santiago, Chile. That year, APEC Leaders recognized that corruption was a serious threat to the APEC agenda and its priorities of sustainable economic growth, good governance, market integrity and enhanced trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. Leaders recognized that APEC could make a difference by working together to fight corruption and promote transparency. The task force was upgraded to a working group in March 2011 to institutionalize and structure its work.

The purpose, structure and administration of the ACTWG are laid out in its Terms of Reference and in the ACTWG Strategic Plan for 2019–2022, which can be accessed here.

The ACTWG is tasked to:

• Coordinate the implementation of their funding commitments: Santiago Commitment to Fight Corruption and Ensure Transparency (2004), the APEC Course of Action on Fighting Corruption (2004) and the APEC Transparency Standards
• Facilitate the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the 2014 Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption
• Promote programs and initiatives to increase the participation of the private sector and civil society in the development of anti-corruption policies and/or measures within the economies, as well as to enhance the support by governments of efforts for greater integrity within the private sector
• Develop innovative training, targeted capacity building and results oriented technical assistance to fight corruption and ensure transparency
• Intensify individual and joint actions to fight corruption and ensure transparency, including cooperation with other multilateral and regional intergovernmental institutions where appropriate
• Exchange information between anti-corruption experts on the implementation of domestic anti-corruption commitments and successful practices to fight corruption and enhance the transparency of public and private sectors
• Cooperate with international organizations, as appropriate, to implement the APEC Course of Action on Fighting Corruption and Ensuring Transparency
• Facilitate cooperation between APEC fora on corruption issues and assist in making recommendations on proposals/projects to senior officials

The ACTWG has one subsidiary body, the Network of Anti-Corruption Authorities and Law Enforcements Agencies (ACT-NET), which was established by the ACTWG during its 17^th meeting in Indonesia, 2013. The first plenary meeting of the ACT-NET was held in 2014, Beijing. The terms of reference of the network can be accessed here.

The ACT-NET, consistent with each economy’s legal system, has three main functions:

• To establish and develop an inter-economy informal network connecting regional anti-corruption and law enforcement officers to enhance informal cross-border cooperation between agencies responsible for the investigation and prosecution of corruption, bribery, money laundering and illicit trade, as well as for the identification and return of the proceeds of these crimes

• To share experiences, case studies, investigative techniques, investigative tools, and effective practices to help build more efficient cross-border cooperation in and enhance the capacity of economies’ fights against corruption in the areas mentioned above, in close coordination with the ACTWG, relevant international organizations and other stakeholders
• To provide an informal platform for bilateral or multilateral case cooperation to advance pragmatic anti-corruption cooperation activities in support of APEC economies’ international commitments in this area

The 8^th ACT-NET Plenary Meeting was held virtually on 18 February 2021 chaired by New Zealand. The 2021 Chair of the ACT-NET is Mr. Graham Gill from New Zealand’s Serious Fraud Office.

The ACTNET will have its ninth plenary meeting at the 3rd APEC senior officials’ meeting cluster in August 2021. 

Last page update: February 2022

Contacts

Current Activities

32nd APEC Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group (ACTWG) - February 19th 2021

Activities and initiatives 2020

The ACTWG holds two annual plenary meetings on the margins of the first and third senior officials’ meetings (SOM1 and SOM3). 

The 32nd ACTWG Plenary Meeting was held virtually on 19 February 2021. The 2021 Chair of the ACTWG is Mrs. Julie Read, Director of New Zealand’s Serious Fraud Office

The 33th ACTWG Plenary Meeting will take place virtually at SOM3 in August 2021.

These are the group’s latest events and/or initiatives:

• 21-23 April 2021: Symposium to Develop Gender Sensitivity Training and Guide to enhance Gender Mainstreaming and Women Empowerment in Fighting Corruption (APEC Funded Project ACT 01 2020, New Zealand)
• 19-20 October 2020: Capacity Building Workshop on Exposing the Unseen Hands: Tackling Concealment of Beneficial Ownership (APEC Self-Funded Project ACT 03 2020S, Malaysia)
• Symposium on Gender Mainstreaming and Women Empowerment to Fight Corruption, held on 11-12 February 2020 (Putrajaya, Malaysia) APEC Project ACT 01 2019
• APEC-funded (Chile) Capacity Building Workshop for Law Enforcement Agents to investigate individual and corporate liability in domestic and foreign bribery, 18–19 August 2019
• Self-Funded (Chile) Workshop on Digital Governance, Integrity Policies and Corruption Prevention Mechanisms in APEC Economies, held on 27 February 2019, Santiago
• Cross-Fora Collaboration Meeting with representatives of the Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy, the Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures and the Small and Medium Enterprises Working Group, held on 27 February 2019.

Latest Deliverables:
2020

• Guidebook on Best Practices in Monitoring and Supervising Effective Corporate Compliance Programs – APEC Publication, February 2020
• Bridging the Gender Gap: Gender Mainstreaming & Women Empowerment as Game Changer in Anti-Corruption Initiatives – APEC Publication, November 2020

2019

• 15 Years Compilation Document: ACTWG 2004–2019 (Chile)
• Commemorative Statement for the 15 years of the ACTWG (endorsed on the 29th ACTWG Plenary Meeting)
• APEC Compilation of Good Practices on Promoting Social Engagement in Anti-Corruption 2018-2019 (Viet Nam)

Upcoming Events 2021

• Virtual Workshop on Preventing Corruption in Crises (ACT 01 2021S) New Zealand, 3rd APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting