Jakarta (Indonesia), 17 November 2023 – Twenty years since the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and a decade after its inaugural cycle review, the Government of Indonesia renewed its commitment to comprehensively address one of the most pressing challenges of our time: corruption. It did so from 13 to 14 November in an event organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in partnership with the Corruption Eradication Commission (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi, or KPK), and the Ministry of National Planning and Development (Bappenas).
Indonesia’s anti-corruption practitioners also gathered this week in an UNCAC review follow-up and implementation workshop to address two main technical aspects of the Convention: asset recovery and management.
“Indonesia is committed to implementing UNCAC to address corruption and enable the development of transparent and accountable institutions,” said Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mohammad Mahfud M.D., highlighting the importance of strengthening measures to foster asset recovery through Indonesia’s upcoming Asset Recovery Bill.
Asset recovery is a unique and defining feature of UNCAC, contained in Chapter V of the Convention. It is a powerful tool that can be used to bring justice to crimes committed by returning stolen funds back to countries of origin and to compensate the victims of the crime. Indonesia is in the process of adopting a dedicated law on asset recovery, which is a crucial step for enhancing its capacities in this domain.
“Indonesia as a State party to UNCAC has contributed to the development and reform of key policies in the fight against corruption,” said KPK Commissioner Nurul Ghufron. UNODC Country Manager for Indonesia Erik Van Der Veen highlighted the strides that Indonesia had taken against corruption, and reiterated UNODC’s support.
“As underlined by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, corruption permeates societies, corroding trust in leaders and institutions. It widens inequalities, nurtures cynicism, alienation, and hampers the progress of women and girls. Choosing greed over need harms us all. Combating corruption is crucial to safeguard human rights and uphold democratic accountability. It is an important step towards inclusive, sustainable development,” Mr Van Der Veen said.
Taking the recommendations as a starting point, panellists discussed a wide range of topics covered in UNCAC, including: criminalization and law enforcement, public and private sector integrity, international cooperation, and asset recovery. The discussion also addressed Indonesia’s progress on key issues, such as conflict of interest, public complaints, judicial integrity, public procurement, and private sector collective action.
Following the workshop, Indonesia’s anti-corruption practitioners gathered to discuss and exchange expertise on asset management and recovery. During the asset recovery workshop, national experts from the Indonesian Government, academia, and civil society organizations were invited to speak about the Asset Recovery Bill, asset management, recovery and justice, and the role of civil society organizations in the asset recovery regime.
UNODC also shared important aspects on asset recovery as provided for in UNCAC and the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). The workshop further encouraged the Indonesian Government to consider these international standards in its deliberations on the Asset Recovery Bill.
Indonesia ratified UNCAC through Law No. 7 of 2006. It completed two cycles under the UNCAC Implementation Review Mechanism — an inter-governmental peer review process among state parties to the Convention — which led to 53 recommendations, 32 of which are from the first cycle and 21 from the second.
The events were sponsored by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea in its support to further UNCAC implementation in the Southeast Asian region.
More information:
Click here to learn more about UNODC’s anti-corruption efforts in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Click here to learn more about UNODC’s work in Indonesia.
Click here to access a summary of a workshop on Strengthening Integrity Against Corruption in Indonesia’s Land-based Sector.
Click here to access a description of the previous workshop on Strengthening Integrity Against Corruption in Indonesia’s Land-based Sector.
Click here to access the summary of a Mystery Shopper Training undertaken in partnership with the Indonesian Supreme Court.
