Lessons from the Asia-Pacific anti-corruption strategies (The United Nations Development Program)

Despite the rapid economic growth in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region, poor governance and corruption remain a major challenge to human development by fuelling inequalities and undermining access to public services. We live in a region were inequalities are rising, where the largest number of people living in extreme poverty reside 743 million, and an almost equal number or 700 million people live without electricity. The development of anti-corruption strategies has often been driven by the efforts of States Parties to implement preventive measures under the United Nations Convention against Corruption. The experience with anti-corruption strategies in the region has shown that strategies can be useful to articulate a long-term vision against corruption when developed in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. At the United Nations Development Program we emphasize the critical importance of engaging stakeholders beyond government against corruption – including youth, women, civil society as well as local communities – to change attitudes and make a real impact on people’s daily lives. However, the lack of implementation and monitoring of anti-corruption strategies has raised questions on their effectiveness in practice. Recognizing this caveat the United Nations Development Program Bangkok Regional Hub )UNDP BRH(, with the support of the Global Anti-corruption Initiative, as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have partnered in helping countries in the region in developing and monitoring strategies.