Seventeen Asian nations adopt plan to fight corruption

Seventeen Asian nations adopt plan to fight corruption

Seventeen Asian nations adopted a legally non-binding plan
Friday to fight corruption, which they said was widespread in the
region and hampered economic growth and poverty reduction
efforts.

The plan advocates civil service, private business and public
awareness action designed to help halt the supply and demand for
bribery in publicly-funded projects.

Implementation of the plan is to be reviewed at annual
meetings, to which each signatory government in the region is to
report on their progress.

The agreement came at the end of a three-day anti-corruption
conference, the third annual such meeting held by the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) and the Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development.

"Corruption imposes a costly burden on businesses, with
negative implications on growth and the creation of jobs," Shoji
Nishimoto, the director of the ADB's strategy and policy
department told reporters at the end of the gathering.

"Governments must act against corruption to promote growth and
development," he said.

He added countries that adopt the anti-corruption plan were
likely to get favourable treatment when it comes to allocating
ADB assistance.

The countries that endorsed the action plan are Bangladesh,
the Cook Islands, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, the
Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New
Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Singapore and Vanuatu.

China, where corruption at all levels of government is a
problem, and which earlier this month was accepted into the World
Trade Organization after a 15-year struggle, did not attend the
meeting, which officials said was due to logistical
problems.--AFP