APEC members gather in Vietnam to discuss measures to combat corruption | Focus

By Xinhua

Transparency and anti-corruption have been a hot topic at the ongoing first Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials’ Meeting and related meetings (SOM 1) in Vietnam’s south central coastal Khanh Hoa province’s Nha Trang City.

During a workshop held by APEC on promoting social engagement in fighting corruption held on Feb. 18, and the 24th Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group Meeting on Feb. 19-20, delegates from APEC members shared their countries’ experience on the prevention and fighting against corruption.

A representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) presented a review report on global efforts to make investment, business environment more transparent.

Meanwhile, the South Korean delegate said that when an anti-corruption accuser got persecuted or got fired, the country’s anti-corruption agency will jump into making conclusions about the incident. If the accuser is right, the enterprise, even the state-run organizations, will be required to restore the job for him within 30 days.

At the same time, the Vietnamese side proposed to enhance social engagement in the fight against corruption, promoting participation of local people and companies in the fight, creating a healthy and transparent business and investment environment, reported Vietnam’s state-run radio VOV on Thursday.

Nguyen Van Thanh, Deputy Government Inspector General of Vietnam, said “this endeavor is closely associated with APEC’s goal of promoting trade and investment among its member economies. We all want a healthy and transparent business climate.”

Echoing Thanh, Pham Trong Dat, Head of Vietnamese Government Inspectorate’s Anti-Corruption Bureau told the delegates that Vietnam will establish an agency specializing in collecting reports on corruption.

“This agency will handle information related to corruption, including giving and receiving gifts. It will be an important tool for fighting corruption”, Dat added.

“The session’s outcome will lay a foundation for guidelines and commitments to ensure public involvement in anti-corruption efforts”, said Pham Van Sau, Government Inspector General of Vietnam.

In addition, participants at these meetings also held discussions on other issues including recovery of corrupted asset, anti-smuggling, and money laundering, said VOV.