International Engagement

Singapore signed the UNCAC on 11 November 2005 and ratified it on 6 November 2009.

UNCAC’s objectives are:

a. To promote and strengthen measures to prevent and combat corruption more efficiently and effectively; b. To promote, facilitate and support international cooperation and technical assistance in the prevention of and fight against corruption, including in asset recovery; c. To promote integrity, accountability and proper management of public affairs and public property.

States Parties to the Convention are obliged to implement and adhere to its provisions which cover five main areas of prevention, criminalisation and law enforcement, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance and information exchange.

To review States Parties’ implementation of UNCAC obligations, a country review process was established in 2009, where each State Party is reviewed by two other States Parties over established review cycles. More information relating to Singapore’s participation in UNCAC review cycles can be found here. 

Meetings under the UNCAC include the biennial Conference of States Parties (COSP), the biannual sessions of the Implementation Review Group and the annually convened Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Prevention of Corruption, Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Asset Recovery and the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Expert Meeting to enhance International Cooperation under the UNCAC.

ASEAN-PAC, formerly known as the South-East Asia (SEA) Parties Against Corruption (SEA-PAC), was established through the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation for Preventing and Combating Corruption, which was initially signed by anti-corruption agencies from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore on 15 December 2004. The MOU was subsequently signed by anti-corruption agencies from Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. The objectives of ASEAN-PAC are: (1) to establish and strengthen collaborative efforts against corruption among the Parties and; (2) to increase capacity and institutional building among the parties in preventing and combating corruption.

Website: http://www.asean-pac.org//

The APEC Anti-Corruption and Transparency Experts' Task Force was formed in March 2005 to advise APEC Senior Officials in matters pertaining to the fight against corruption and the promotion of transparency, coordinate the implementation of the Santiago Commitment to Fight Corruption and Ensure Transparency, the APEC Course of Action on Fighting Corruption and Ensuring Transparency and the APEC Transparency Standards.

It promotes cooperation in areas such as extradition, legal assistance and judicial/law enforcement (especially asset forfeiture and recovery). Recognising the importance of its work, the ACT Task Force was upgraded in status to a Working Group in March 2011 and meets twice a year at the side-lines of the APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM). It also established the APEC Network of Anti-Corruption Authorities and Law Enforcement Agencies (ACT-NET), an informal network for sharing information and exchanging best practices and techniques among anti-corruption and law enforcement authorities in the Asia-Pacific region, to assist in detecting, investigating and prosecuting corruption, bribery, money laundering, and illicit trade.

The Group of Twenty or G20 is an international forum comprising countries from 20 major economies. In 2010, G20 Leaders established the ACWG at the Toronto Summit in 2010 in recognition of the significant negative impact of corruption on economic growth, trade and development. Since 2010, the work of the ACWG has been guided by two-year action plans that include commitments by G20 countries to ratify and implement the United Nations Convention against Corruption, criminalise and prosecute foreign bribery, and cooperate with other countries to investigate, prosecute and return the proceeds of corruption.

The GlobE Network was established in 2021 under the auspices of the United Nations Office against Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Through the GlobE Network, operational enforcement authorities of UN Member States with mandates relating to fighting corruption can network and advance collaboration particularly on matters with transnational dimensions. CPIB has been a member of the GlobE Network since November 2024.

In 1999, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific.

Singapore (represented by CPIB) endorsed the Initiative’s Action Plan in November 2001. The Initiative supports member governments’ efforts to implement goals and standards for sustainable safeguards against corruption in the economic, political and social spheres through fostering policy dialogue, policy analysis and capacity building. As a member of the Initiative, CPIB attends Annual Steering Group Meetings held to discuss countries’ efforts to implement the Action Plan as well as the Initiative’s periodic Regional Conferences which gather policymakers, civil society and business sector representatives to assess progress and exchange ideas.

Website: https://www.oecd.org/en/networks/global-engagement-on-anti-corruption-and-anti-bribery.html

IAACA was established in October 2006 with the aim of facilitating the implementation of UNCAC and advancing the agenda of international cooperation against corruption.

The IAACA typically holds three events per calendar year – an Executive Committee meeting, an Annual Conference and General Meeting and a seminar. CPIB participates in the IAACA as an Executive Committee member.

Website: http://www.iaaca.net/

In July 2017, CPIB joined the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) and law enforcement agencies from other countries [i.e. US (Federal Bureau of Investigations & Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations), Australia (Australian Federal Police), New Zealand (Serious Fraud Office & New Zealand Police) and Canada (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)] to launch the UK-led International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC) based in London. The IACCC seeks to enhance timely sharing of information relating to grand corruption.

CPIB has seconded a senior officer to the IACCC since September 2017, who works closely with representatives from the other foreign agencies on board the IACCC to coordinate global law enforcement responses to allegations of grand corruption.

On 30 July 2020, the IACCC launched a new Associate Membership Scheme (AMS) that allows law enforcement agencies from smaller financial centres to join the IACCC as Associate Members.