The Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption of the ICAC (HKIAAC), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Office of the National Anti-corruption Commission of Thailand (NACC) and the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) had jointly completed the first-ever regional capacity building programme on meaningful youth engagement in anti-corruption work in Thailand. The programme was set to effectively deepen integrity training for young people in seven states members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and foster anti-graft collaboration on various fronts in the Asia-Pacific region.

A five-member ICAC delegation, led by Director of Community Relations Diman Mak Wai-keung, arrived at the headquarters of the NACC earlier this week to host the three-day training programme, which gathered over 200 representatives from anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies of the seven ASEAN countries. Mak shared with participants ICAC’s innovative anti-corruption training model for youngsters which had been showcased in the international arena, as well as challenges and experience gained by the Hong Kong anti-graft watchdog in the past 50 years.

Mak said the training programme would facilitate ASEAN countries to jointly nurture a new generation of integrity. “Young people are the future of our societies. During the programme, participating organisations and young leaders engaged in deep dialogues in enhancing youth engagement in the fight against corruption. The discussions shared and ideas generated would not end as the programme came to a close. Instead, the insights will become the seeds for real and actionable change. They will flourish in their own countries into a new generation to lead the graft fight,” Mak noted.

Attending the training programme were representatives of agencies from seven ASEAN countries, namely the NACC, the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Brunei Darussalam, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau of Singapore, the Anti-Corruption Unit of Cambodia, the Corruption Eradication Commission of Indonesia, the Anti-Corruption Commission of Myanmar and the Office of the Ombudsman of the Philippines. Youngsters from Thailand and Brunei also took part in the training.

During the three-day programme, ICAC officers explained the Commission’s latest strategy to leverage social media to promote youth integrity, and shared their experience in organising youth programmes and developing moral education resources. Participants were invited to produce integrity promotion materials catered for young people for use on social media platforms, and map out youth activities. In addition, ICAC representatives also briefed participants on the professional training provided to new young recruits.

Representatives from the UNODC also took the opportunity to promote the “Policy Guide for National Anti-Corruption Authorities on Meaningful Youth Engagement in Anti-Corruption Work” to participants. The policy guide, co-developed by the ICAC, the UNODC and IAACA, serves as a practical reference for promoting youth engagement in the fight against corruption.

Two tertiary students currently enrolled in the ICAC’s “ELITE Youth Leadership Programme” were invited to join the ICAC delegation on this trip. In addition to learning first-hand how the ICAC shared its anti-graft experience, telling the good stories of Hong Kong on the world stage, they also gained insights into global graft fighting issues. They explored with participants the important influence of young people in probity work, and also took the opportunity to promote Chinese culture.

The ICAC has integrated the topic of youth capabilities in combating corruption into HKIAAC’s International Anti-corruption Programme (Investigation, Corruption Prevention and Education Modules). Anti-corruption agencies of different jurisdictions will be invited to join the programme. For further information, please visit HKIAAC’s website: https://hkiaac.icac.org.hk/programme/68.