The UK is proud to support the work of authorities across the Pacific who are working to challenge the threat posed by corruption and money laundering.
A three-day conference has commenced in Fiji, with discussions focused on the role that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can play in the fight against corruption across the Pacific.
Bringing together senior officials from across the region’s anti-corruption sector, alongside regional and international experts in the field of digitalization, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Office in Fiji is leading the way on efforts to harness new approaches to combatting corruption.
With support from the Government of the United Kingdom, via the UNDP-implemented Pacific Anti-Corruption Project, UNDP Pacific is working across the region to improve public financial management and address corruption. This approach includes using technology to assist in budget preparation, promoting the right to information and accountability, and strengthening anti-corruption institutions and civil society engagement in social transparency.
The pace of technological advancement has been relentless in the 21st Century, transforming the way we live, work, and communicate. From the rapid proliferation of smartphones and the rise of social media to the more-recent emergence of the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), technology has become an integral part of our daily lives.
However, those yet to be connected remain cut off from the benefits of this new era, and remain further behind – in the Pacific alone, 40 percent of our region’s population remains ‘digitally excluded’. Connectivity, and the need to temper the view of digital as a one-size-fits-all fix will be an essential aspect of the three-day event.