International Anti-Corruption Day 9 DECEMBER 2010 VIET NAM: “Your No counts”
On the occasion of the International Day against Corruption the United Nations Country Team in Viet Nam launched an awareness raising campaign under the banner: “Say NO to corruption”.
A United Nations story “Corruption: A Threat to Development” was posted on www.vn.one.un.org to mark this day.
Referring to the statement by United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon on International Day against Corruption, the webstory provides a brief overview of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), its history and main provisions. It also details
1 the measures the Government of Viet Nam is taking in order to comply with the Conventions requirements. The information made available in the story, places particular importance on United Nations assistance, provided by UNDP and UNODC, to the Government of Viet Nam in order to strengthen its national anti-corruption efforts.
Viet Nam ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption on 30 June 2009, following the revision of existing legislative frameworks and development of a national anti-corruption strategy. Since ratification, the Government has put forward an action plan for implementation of the Convention. Viet Nam is currently preparing for a peer review of anti-corruption measures in line with the Conventions review mechanism.
Speaking on international anti-corruption day, Mr. John Hendra, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam said that: “The challenge ahead is to ensure that both, the anti-corruption strategy and the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) are effectively implemented. In this regard, clear and selective identification of priorities is a pre-requisite. The United Nations looks forward to continuing our support to the Government of Viet Nam to fulfill its obligations with respect to implementing the Convention and the upcoming self-assessment.”
7-8 December 2010: Consultative Group Meeting
Cooperation in anti-corruption and anti-money laundering areas was one of the main discussion topics at the consultative group meeting
2 between the national authorities and the development partners, jointly organized by the Government of Vietnam and the World Bank in Hanoi. UNODC anti-corruption publications and related communication materials were displayed and disseminated throughout the meeting.
Outreach activities:
UNDP and UNODC in partnership with the Government Inspectorate of Viet Nam organized broad outreach activities to mark international anti-corruption day. Some of these activities included radio broadcasts and television transmissions of United Nations news broadcasting anti-corruption messages.
Voice of Vietnam (VOV) a radio programme aired relevant news at VOV news http://vovnews.vn/home/ The radio broadcast aired information about the damaging impact of corruption to the countries development. It also introduction to audience to the United Nations Convention against Corruption and
3 the role the United Nations and in particular UNDP and UNODC play in the implementation of the Covention. The programme also explained the Government’s action plan to implement the national strategy in line with the Convention and the hotline for denouncement of corruption acts.
Viet Nam Television (VTV) conducted interviews with United Nations representatives which were broadcasted on the main national channels on 9 December.
UNODC, as the guardian of the Convention facilitates broad national anti-corruption dialogue and promotes international cooperation in this area.
Ms. Zhuldyz Akisheva, UNODC Country Manager outlined in her interview the main areas for cooperation between the Government of
4 Viet Nam and UNODC in addressing corruption and money- laundering issues
AML/CFT workshop: UNODC Regional Mentor on AML/CFT delivered a presentation on the Convention and its major provisions at an anti-corruption workshop jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh Political Academy and the British Embassy in Hanoi.
The leaflet on the “Your NO counts campaign” was translated into vietnamese. 5,000 copies of the leaflets and 1,000 notebooks carrying the same information were produced for dissemination and distribution at public events.
5