Managing Conflict of Interest - Organisation for Economic Co ...

94 Managing Conflict of Interestor immoveable; (b) any office, employment, or contract;(c) any payment, release, discharge or liquidation of anyloan, obligation or other liability whatsoever, whether inwhole or in part; (d) any other service, favour or advantageof any description whatsoever, including protection fromany penalty or disability incurred of apprehended or fromany action or proceedings of a disciplinary or penal nature,whether or not already instituted, and including the exerciseor the forbearance from the exercise of any right orany official power and duty; and (e) any offer, undertakingor promise of any gratification within the meanings ofparagraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d). 3• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) defines conflict of interest as a situationinvolving a conflict between the public duty and privateinterests of a public official, in which the public official hasprivate-capacity interests that could improperly influencethe performance of their official duties and responsibilities. 4As such, conflicts of interest can result in improper privategains for the official or other private party as well as publicloss of objective, neutral, and fair decision making or publicgoods or resources.• Michael McDonald (2007), from the W. Maurice Young Centrefor Applied Ethics at the University of British Columbia,defines conflict of interest as a situation in which a person,such as a public official, an employee, or a professional, hasa private or personal interest sufficient to appear to influencethe objective exercise of his or her official duties. The threekey elements in this definition are the meaning of private orpersonal interest, the scope of official duty, and the natureof interference with professional responsibilities.• The Harvard School of Public Health (2007) offers anotherdefinition, distinguishing between “conflict of commitment”and “conflict of interest,” indicating that “conflictsof commitment” are situations in which the external activitiesof public officials (or members, in the case of university3Singapore Prevention of Corruption Act (1960).4Quoted in Raile (2004), p. 2.ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific