25 March 2025 –

At the 20th UNCAC Coalition Asia Pacific regional meeting, the UNODC Anti-Corruption Hub presented its anti-corruption initiatives and engagement opportunities for civil society organisations in the region. It engages through a whole-of-society approach, collaborating with actors from all sectors and integrating human rights and gender mainstreaming. 

Based in Bangkok, Thailand, the UNODC Anti-Corruption Hub covers twelve countries in Southeast Asia. The UNODC Hub provides technical assistance, policy guidance, and capacity-building support to the aforementioned countries in the region. The UNODC Hub trains public prosecutors in financial crime investigation, asset recovery, and promoting anti-corruption measures. Furthermore it supports civil society, journalists and businesses in promoting integrity. 

Supporting civil society

One of the key initiatives led by the Hub is the facilitation of the Southeast Asian Anti-Corruption Network for Civil Society Organisations. It is chaired by the Knowledge Hub for Regional Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Collaboration (KRAC) under Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University. It aims to facilitate exchanges between CSOs, collaboration on policy advocacy, and sharing lessons learned in advocating for reforms and greater transparency and accountability. Furthermore, it supports diverse voices in policy and decision-making and working together to address common challenges, in line with Article 13 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which emphasises the participation of society. 

The UNODC Hub also supports local civil society organizations as a bridge with communities where CSOs highlight a particular challenge faced by communities in need of support. For instance, it has engaged with Transparency International-Malaysia after receiving requests from local communities for engagement around public awareness campaigns on anti-corruption to stimulate the demand for accountability from public officials. Usually, this kind of engagement necessitates working through local partners on the ground, given travel and language constraints. 

Investigative Journalism for uncovering corruption

Recognizing the role of a free press in fighting corruption and exposing those who are involved, Nichanee Wongba, National Programme Office at the UNODC Hub, mentioned the establishment of the Journalists Against Corruption Network (JAC). According to Ms. Wongba, the network serves as a catalyst for empowering journalists on anti-corruption related investigations and facilitates cross-border cooperation with other journalists in uncovering corruption. Facilitated by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), the network provides substantive training for journalists, equipping them with tools to carry out investigations aimed at exposing corruption. Furthermore, the network improves cross-border collaboration among journalists working on corruption reports. 

Strong legal foundation for enhanced anti-corruption actions

At the State level, the UNODC Hub provides legal and policy frameworks supporting member states with the development of national anti-corruption strategies, legal assistance, and improving public procurement practices, to name a few. The support ranges from technical assistance for criminalized corruption offenses in line with the UNCAC to setting up institutional frameworks to protect whistleblowers, witnesses, and victims. The UNODC Hub also facilitates peer-to-peer learning, collaboration on asset recovery, and beneficial ownership transparency. Although not a big part of the UNODC Hub’s work, it also provides on-demand training to government officials (such as public prosecutors) on anti-corruption topics.