Vienna (Austria), 15 December 2020 — The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Republic of Korea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their common efforts in corruption prevention and response strategies.
The MoU, which was signed by UNODC Executive Director Ms. Ghada Waly and the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Sim Jae Chul, marks an expansion in the scope of cooperation between UNODC and the Republic of Korea. The MoU focuses on responding to emerging issues, fostering international cooperation in the prevention of and fight against corruption and money-laundering while promoting the recovery of stolen assets.
These areas are also the focus of a new project funded by the Republic of Korea entitled “Strengthening regional cooperation and the capacity of ASEAN countries to counter corruption and other serious crimes (2020-2023)”, demonstrating the Republic of Korea’s firm commitment to swiftly implement the MoU.
With a budget of over US$ 5 million, this project will contribute to the effective implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its Protocols, across Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) over the next three years.
The project will support anti-corruption and criminal justice practitioners, as well as authorities responsible for international and regional law enforcement cooperation and other relevant stakeholders of ASEAN countries, by building capacity and strengthening frameworks for coordination and cooperation among national authorities.
