Closer Anti-Corruption Coordination Called for by Ministers

APEC Trade Ministers have called for closer public and private sector coordination in overcoming corruption in the Asia-Pacific. At their annual meeting that concluded today in Jeju, Korea, Trade Ministers also reiterated the importance of all economies meeting the APEC Transparency Standards set by APEC Leaders.

Exploring opportunities for enhancing anti-corruption and transparency cooperation was an important topic of discussion at the Trade Ministers' meeting on June 2-3. Ministers are now anticipating a positive outcome to the 2005 APEC International Symposium on Anti-Corruption that is planned for Seoul in September.

The Symposium is expected to coordinate the exchange of experiences and ideas among representatives of member economies and international experts in the fight against corruption.

The Symposium will cover the range of subjects addressed in the APEC Course of Action on Fighting Corruption and Ensuring Transparency. These include the UN Convention Against Corruption, measures to deny safe haven to people guilty of public corruption and other efforts to fight corruption in both the public and private sector.

The Symposium is expected to place a particularly high focus on e-government as a tool to enhance transparency and address practical ways to provide international anti-corruption assistance. The International Symposium on Anti-Corruption will look at ways to strengthen the APEC Anti-corruption Initiative

The Symposium will take place in Seoul, Korea, on September 1- 2 and will be hosted by the Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption (KICAC).

The Meeting of Ministers' Responsible for Trade was held in Jeju, Korea, on June 2-3 and covered a range of issues including the current state of WTO negotiations, intellectual property rights issues and counter terrorism.

Additional details on the APEC Anti-corruption and Transparency Symposium available at www. http://transparency.apec2005.org/