Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives
[Honiara – June 30] The Solomon Islands is committed to fighting corruption and the Deputy Prime Minister Hon Fred Fono today called for collective effort by all stakeholders to effectively curb corruption.
Hon Fono was speaking at the Pacific launch of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Asia Pacific Human Development Report “Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives” today.
“The Asia Pacific Human Development Report’s theme of “Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives” is very appropriate and relevant in that it calls for a collective effort by all stakeholders – governments, development partners, civil society groups, the media and the private sector – to join hands and fight corruption in order to allow governments to provide the needed services to its people,” said Hon Fono.
“This report also shows us the strategies that we as government need to follow to tackle corruption.”
Hon Fono pointed out that Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua’s government was committed to establishing an Anti- Corruption Commission by 2010.
“Our constitutional accountability offices like the Ombudsman, the Leadership Code Commission and the office of the Auditor General will be supported and strengthened by our government to empower these institutions to effectively discharge their mandates and act as “watchdog” against corrupt practises by leaders and civil society at all levels.
The launch of the report coincides with a three day workshop on Freedom of Information for Pacific Policy Makers, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua this morning. Participants at this workshop include representatives from ten Pacific Isalnd countries - Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
“We are pleased to be holding the Pacific launch of the Report in the Solomon Islands because the launch coincides with the Freedom of Information Workshop for Pacific Policy-Makers that was opened by Prime Minister Dr Sikua this morning. As we all know freedom of information is a key element of the fight against corruption,” said Mr Garry Wiseman, Manager of the UNDP Pacific Centre.
Mr Wiseman highlighted a couple of ways that UNDP, along with other partners, could help Pacific Island countries wanting to promote anti-corruption measures.
The ideas drawn from work already done by UNDP elsewhere include:
- Strengthening national government oversight institutions, as well as strengthening the capacities of media and civil society to act as watchdogs against corruption;
- Developing anti-corruption standards and assessment tools to inform national policies, for example, based upon global standards such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption; and
- Working to strengthen access to justice for the poor and marginalised including in areas such as strengthening people’s access to legal tools for protection and opportunity and increased awareness of property rights.
Speaking at the launch, UNDP Deputy Representative for Solomon Islands Christina Carlson said that the Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives emphasized a strategic vision for change.
“Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives argues for a deepening dialogue on ways to overcome corruption, safeguard human dignity, and improve well-being among peoples in the Pacific,” said Ms Carlson.
The Asia Pacific Regional Human Development report Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives wasprepared by the Human Development Report Unit in the Colombo Regional Centre of UNDPandwas officially launched on 12 June in Indonesia. The Pacific launch is to ensure that the report gets noticed by policy-makers in the Pacific.The report shows ways in which governments and citizens across the Asia-Pacific can tackle corruption together by focusing on areas which impact daily life such as health, education, justice and natural resources.
It is the latest in a series of Human Development Reports focused on the Asia Pacific region. Since 2006, Asia-Pacific Human Development Reports have evolved into a regular series. The reports provide continuing analyses of critical development issues relevant at both the regional and country levels.
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