Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), 22 July 2022 - Papua New Guinea’s interim Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is working this week with regional experts on anti-corruption complaints handling to ensure that once the ICAC starts operations, PNG citizens can easily lodge a complaint and that it will be dealt with efficiently and quickly.
The three-day Port Moresby workshop, presented by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the ICAC, and supported by the European Union, aims to develop a draft Policy and Procedure for Handling Incoming Complaints about Corrupt Conduct.
Establishing a simple, effective complaints system for an anti-corruption agency not only enhances investigations but is also a key tool for intelligence collection and corruption prevention.
“The people of Papua New Guinea need to be assured that ICAC is working hard to adopt best international practices in complaint handling so as we are ready to give the best possible service to citizens once we begin full operations, expected in 2023,” said Mr Thomas Eluh, Chair of the interim PNG ICAC.
ICAC is working with experts from UNODC, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption, the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity and the PNG-based Australian Federal Police.
This workshop will support ICAC adopting a world-class fit-for-purpose complaints handling system and will assist ICAC being operational in accordance with the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) recommendations, standards and good practices. ICAC officials will also be better prepared to protect the identity of complainants and to identify corruption risk trends with partner integrity agencies.
UNODC is supporting the workshop and ongoing complaints mechanism development within the framework of the ‘Project on Preventing and Countering Corruption in Papua New Guinea’ (the ‘PNG Anti-Corruption Project’), implemented jointly by UNODC and UNDP, and funded by the European Union.
