Suva (Fiji), 31 May 2022 – An upgraded Pacific Youth Anti-Corruption Toolkit: Integrity in Action is being launched in Fiji this week. It was created by the UN Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project and the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC).
This updated Toolkit builds on UN-PRAC and APTC’s work with young people and is designed to help youth with their advocacy against corruption. It recognizes that youth creativity and energy as advocates for integrity, transparency and accountability are paramount to addressing corruption. Youth ability to connect with peers in ways that were unimaginable for previous generations, also through innovation and technology, gives youth a power to drive positive change in the anti-corruption arena.
This Toolkit is the result of a partnership between UN-PRAC (a joint initiative by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP)) and APTC.
The Pacific Youth Forum Against Corruption (PYFAC), a network of youth anti-corruption advocates from 14 countries in the region, has been working with UN-PRAC since 2015 on developing these toolkits and training sessions to support Pacific youth advocacy and young game-changers on the global stage and to amplify their voice on matters linked to anti-corruption.
In parallel, since 2020 UN-PRAC and APTC have been partnering to deliver an anti-corruption training module, in conjunction with APTC’s Leadership and Management Programme. UN-PRAC and APTC also conducted joint advocacy activities to raise anti-corruption awareness among the youth and adults in the Pacific region.
“This is a Toolkit for Pacific youth, our leaders of today and tomorrow, to hold all of us, including yourselves, to account! The original 2017 Pacific Youth Anti-Corruption Advocate’s Toolkit was developed on the back of the lessons learned at the Pacific Youth Forum Anti-Corruption (PYFAC) in February 2015, with youth from 14 Pacific Island countries (PICs), and subsequent integrity workshops across the Pacific,” said Dr Sonja Stefanovska-Trajanoska, regional UNDP Anti-Corruption Adviser.
“As young people, Pacific youth are one of the groups the most affected by corruption. Empowering today’s youth is one of the best ways to enhance and maintain integrity, combat corruption, end poverty and bridge inequalities. It is an opportunity for youth to achieve their full potential” said regional UNODC Anti-Corruption Adviser, Ms. Marie Pegie Cauchois.
APTC Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Janelle Chapman, said: “This partnership on youth advocacy will greatly benefit our future APTC graduates - over 1,200 Pacific Island citizens graduate each year - as well as many other young people, civil servants, civil society and private sector participants across the region. Our teams have worked together to both embed new learning into APTC’s existing programmes and develop new anti-corruption courses that can be delivered online, as well as through a virtual network of young advocates for anti-corruption.”
The UN-PRAC Project is a joint initiative by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), supported by the New Zealand Government.
APTC, which is supported by the Australian Government and managed by TAFE Queensland, is recognized as a centre of training excellence and collaboration helping Pacific Island citizens gaining skills and recognized qualifications for a wide range of vocational careers throughout the Pacific region. Apart from training for individuals, APTC also works with national and regional stakeholders to support their training quality priorities, and it offers customized training in targeted industry sectors.
The Toolkit can be downloaded from APTC here.
