(2) Assistance for Governance (Including Anti-Corruption)
The occurrence of corruption, including the bribery of government officials, becomes a factor that impedes sound economic growth in developing countries. Thus, it is necessary for donor countries to provide assistance for good governance, including anti-corruption measures, in order to realize an equitable and stable society in developing countries.
●Japan’s Efforts
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Uto attending the first G20 Anti-Corruption Ministers Meeting (video conference) (October 2020)
As a State Party to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), and by providing financial contributions to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the secretariat of the Convention, Japan has been actively engaged in developing legal systems concerning the prevention of corruption and law enforcement operations, as well as providing capacity building assistance to law enforcement agencies in countries vulnerable to corruption. In 2020, following the previous year, Japan contributed to identifying and solving challenges in the global fight against corruption by funding UNODC in order to support the operation of the Implementation Review Mechanism of the UNCAC, which assesses the status of implementation of the Convention and identifies technical assistance needs necessary for the effective implementation of the Convention.
In addition, through UNAFEI, Japan has annually held an international training course on the criminal justice response to corruption for criminal justice practitioners in developing countries in Asia and Africa since 1998. The training course is held every year with themes selected from the key issues of the UNCAC, and contributes to the sound development of the criminal justice system and the strengthening of cooperative relationships for preventing corruption in each country.
Furthermore, Japan has held an annual seminar titled “Regional Seminar on Good Governance for Southeast Asian Countries” since 2007, with the objectives of supporting governance initiatives in Southeast Asian countries and contributing to human resources development in the area of criminal justice and anti-corruption.