Countries across the Pacific and the world are affected by corruption. The global cost of corruption is estimated to be at least five percent of world gross domestic product, and a key driver of conflict through its ability to breed disillusion with governments and create social disunity. Whistle blowers play an important role in detecting corruption. However, it is not exactly known how many corruption cases worldwide have been detected by whistle-blowers.

The purpose of this publication is to take stock of the status of whistle-blower protection in the Pacific and provide recommendations for Pacific Island countries (PICs) to consider in order to improve whistle-blower protections. This, in turn, will help to prevent and fight corruption in line with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), and further the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) and its associated 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This publication was prepared by the United Nations Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project, a joint initiative by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), support by the Australian and New Zealand Governments.