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

xxviii Managing Conflict of Interestemployment are attracting growing attention in some of the Initiative’smember countries.The response to these challenges has been encouraging thusfar. In December 2003, the United Nations opened its ConventionAgainst Corruption, or UNCAC, for signature. To date, 129 countries,including many in our region, have signed on to UNCAC. Thisis a clear indication of how seriously the world community takes theissue of corruption. Importantly, UNCAC requires its member statesto institute measures and checks against conflict of interest.International development partners, such as the OECD, havedeveloped Guidelines for Managing Conflict of Interest in thePublic Service. These guidelines constitute a set of core principles,policy frameworks, institutional strategies, and practical toolsfrom which countries may benefit when establishing, amending,or reviewing their conflict-of-interest policies. It is encouraging tosee that several countries in the Asia and Pacific region such as thePeople’s Republic of China, Thailand, and Cambodia, have begunto develop frameworks for identifying and managing conflict-ofinterestsituations.Colleagues, we are all here today because we share a commonview that corruption in all its forms undermines our efforts to combatpoverty. We also share a common vision that by working togetherwe can determine the solutions to eradicate the cancer of corruptionfrom our institutions, our politics, and our everyday transactions.In sharing our experiences today—no matter how different theymay be—we hope to find some common ground. And by workingin partnership, we will ultimately make governance more efficientand effective across Asia and the Pacific.The Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia Pacific under the jointleadership of ADB and the OECD is a promising example ofregional cooperation and collaboration to advance the fight againstcorruption. The Initiative’s Action Plan emphasizes three core values—transparency,accountability or integrity, and participation.The growing focus on conflict of interest as a manifestation, as wellas cause, of corruption, is most relevant to the objectives of theInitiative’s Action Plan endorsed by 28 countries.We are pleased to note that the Philippines, with the activesupport of the Initiative, has launched a National Anti-CorruptionProgram to bolster efforts to combat corruption and institute ananti-corruption performance measurement system.ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific