The 7th session of the Anti-Corruption Agency Forum (ACA), a policy dialogue among the heads of anti-corruption agencies in the Asia-Pacific region, was hosted by the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission of Korea (ACRC) in Seoul from September 2nd to 3rd. The meeting consisted of two parts: a roundtable of the ACA Forum on September 2 and the International Forum on Anti-Corruption Best Practices on September 3.

The roundtable meeting on September 2nd was chaired by ACRC Chairman Mr. Lee Sungbo. During the meeting, the participants shared latest developments and trends of anti-corruption activities of each country or jurisdiction, and discussed policies and practices on gifts and gratuities offered to public officials.

They also approved and welcomed new membership of the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI), and agreed to hold the next ACA Forum meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2015.

Accepting the membership of the ACA Forum, Mr. Philip Moss, Integrity Commissioner of the ACLEI, said that it is now very important for anti-corruption agencies in various countries to be in contact and cooperate with each other, and to learn from each other.

The "International Forum on Anti-Corruption Best Practices" was held on September 3 as part of follow-ups to the "Seoul Statement," which was adopted in September 2009 for strengthened cooperation to build the capacity of anti-corruption agencies. It provided an opportunity to share and spread best practices on the prevention and investigation of corruption in the Asia-Pacific region.

Through his presentation on the theme of "Korea's anti-corruption strategies and experiences," ACRC Chairman Lee expressed the Korean government's strong will to tackle corruption by highlighting the key anti-corruption and integrity policies of the current administration. Moreover, the chairman introduced the ACRC's major anti-corruption policies such as the Integrity Assessment, which is annually conducted targeting public organizations, protection measures for corruption reporters, and the new "bill on the prohibition of illegal solicitation and the prevention of conflicts of interest of public officials."

The other best practices that were presented during the meeting included: G20 Anti-Corruption Action Plan & Jakarta Statement on Principles for Anti-Corruption Agencies (Indonesia), investigation of corruption cases & protection of whistleblowers (Australia), public education & preventive efforts (Singapore), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy (Malaysia), public-private partnership in the fight against corruption (Hong Kong), and Integrity Management Program (Philippines.)

Chairman Lee stated in his farewell speech, "I hope that you could gain brilliant perspectives and ideas for establishing and improving anti-corruption policies in your country" by learning from and sharing the various systems and experiences on preventing and fighting corruption.

He added that the ACRC will take the lead in creating a clean and trustworthy government and that it will continue making efforts for a corruption-free world, in alliance with the international community.

The meeting brought together more than 140 participants from government agencies, civil society and academia of Korea as well as ACA members and observers, including Ms. Conchita Morales, Ombudsman of the Philippines; Mr. Philip Moss, Integrity Commissioner of the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity; Hon Dato' Hj Zakaria Jaffar, Deputy Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission; Mr. Adnan Pandu Praja, Commissioner of the Corruption Eradication Commission of Indonesia; Ms. Theresa Hamilton, Deputy Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption of New South Wales, Australia; Mr. Ricky Yau, Acting Director of Investigation of the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong, China; Mr. Ang Seow Lian, Deputy Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau of Singapore; and Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Deputy Inspector General of the Government Inspectorate of Vietnam.

The ACA Forum has provided a venue for policy dialogue among the heads of anti-corruption agencies that have been leading collaborative efforts for the fight against corruption in the region since its first meeting in November 2002 in Seoul. The ACRC is serving as the secretariat for the forum.

With the approval of new membership of the ACLEI at the 7th meeting, the ACA membership is composed of 8 agencies from 7 countries: Australia; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Korea; Malaysia; the Philippines and Singapore.