Your Excellency High Commissioner George Edgar, distinguished guests, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

I am pleased to be here this morning to make a few remarks about the importance of a new anti-corruption project that we are launching today. 

UNDP is delighted to embark on a new partnership with the Government of the United Kingdom to step up efforts to prevent and fight corruption in the Pacific region.

Under the new partnership, UNDP will be working with the UK government to strengthen anticorruption measures and institutional capacities to prevent and fight corruption more efficiently and effectively in the Pacific.

The project will also focus on supporting improved public accountability and better access to information by non-state actors.

As a UN development agency, we are particularly concerned with the impact of corruption on societies. Corruption can become a fierce enemy of sustainable development and is a set back at efforts to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ladies and gentlemen, fighting corruption is not only an aim for itself, but it is also the most effective way to make development progress against the SDGs in an integrated way.

That is the reason UNDP is committed to building on the existing anti-corruption efforts and continue supporting stakeholders to advance the anti-corruption agenda through the lens of improved development outcomes for the people in the Pacific.

We are particularly grateful to the UK Government for this strategic partnership with UNDP so that together we can support the Pacific efforts at making progress against their international and regional commitments including specifically the ‘Teieniwa’ Vision of Pacific Unity against Corruption adopted by 18 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders as the regional roadmap at the Leaders Forum in February 2021.

This project builds on the achievements and complements the very important and substantive investments in the anti-corruption agenda in the Pacific by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, which I would like to acknowledge with gratitude and appreciation. 

As we continue to support building of peaceful, just, and inclusive societies, in line with SDG 16, I would also like to encourage all stakeholders in government, private sector, non-governmental organizations, and all citizens to equally pledge to make this a success.

Thank you.