Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu told over 500 global anti-corruption experts at the 8th ICAC Symposium on Wednesday that Hong Kong will continue pioneering the fight against graft through international collaboration.
The three-day symposium, co-organized by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), opened in Hong Kong on Wednesday, offering various exchange sessions for specialists.
Lee cautioned that corruption is not limited by borders, which will not only plague different economies, institutions, and communities, but also affect every aspect of people’s lives
In his opening speech, Lee outlined the milestones the city has achieved in combating corruption. Hong Kong ranked ninth out of more than 140 jurisdictions in the World Justice Project in 2023 for its effective elimination of corruption, and holds 14th place out of 180 countries and regions in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index in 2023, Lee said.
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In a survey conducted by the ICAC, over 98 percent of Hong Kong people said they had not personally encountered corruption over the past 12 months, Lee added.
“All these standings underscore Hong Kong’s clean governance, as well as the ICAC’s laudable anti-corruption efforts,” Lee said.
Lee cautioned that corruption is not limited by borders, which will not only plague different economies, institutions, and communities, but also affect every aspect of people’s lives.
Lee stressed that sustaining the pioneering role in combating corruption remains a priority of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, and the city will continue to support the ICAC, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in February, in widening its international network and cooperating with overseas counterparts in terms of combating graft.
The goal is ensuring that Hong Kong’s legal framework and anti-corruption institutions, as well as public and private sector governance, reflect the highest international obligations and standards, particularly those set out in the United Nations Convention against Corruption, Lee told attendees.
Apart from cracking down on corruption locally, the ICAC, which has led the IAACA since 2022, has also actively participated in helping other economies under the Convention develop and implement preventive measures, the chief executive said, adding that the IAACA’s membership has soared from 120 to more than 170 under the leadership of Hong Kong’s anti-graft watchdog.
Following his remarks, Lee witnessed Hong Kong sign memorandums of understanding with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as anti-corruption authorities from Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.
In a separate speech, ICAC Commissioner Woo Ying-ming highlighted a milestone in the ICAC’s international commitment — the establishment of the Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption.
So far, the academy has organized 17 professional anti-corruption training courses for over 40 anti-corruption agencies worldwide, Woo said.
READ MORE: HK sets up global academy to promote anti-graft cooperation
After the symposium, the academy and the IAACA will co-organize a training program featuring a three-day study tour to Changsha in Hunan province, in which participants will learn how to use innovation and technology in combating and preventing corruption.
Another speaker, Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung said that fighting corruption is crucial to upholding the rule of law in Hong Kong as corruption threatens to undermine public confidence in the SAR government and its institutions.
Other speakers on the first day of the symposium included Fu Kui, vice-chairman of the National Commission of Supervision; Ghada Fathi Waly, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; and Petr Klement, deputy European chief prosecutor of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Contact the writer at stephyzhang@chinadailyhk.com
