LocationsTo support selected public sector institutions in piloting corruption risk assessments at the national and subnational level, UNDP and the Prime Minister and National Executive Council Office hosted three separate workshops on corruption risk assessment and mitigation strategies for government officials from Port Moresby and East New Britain Province during the second half of July 2023.
UNDP trains government officials from Port Moresby and East New Britain to assess and mitigate corruption risks
July 31, 2023
Participants of the workshop held in Kokopo, East New Britain Province
Seru Kepa | UNDP Papua New Guinea
The workshops were held under the European Union-funded project “Preventing and Countering Corruption in Papua New Guinea” (PNG Anti-Corruption Project), which is being jointly implemented by UNDP and UNODC.
The first two workshops were held in Port Moresby on 18-19 and 20-21 July 2023, while the third workshop took place in Kokopo on 25-27 July 2023. The participants in Port Moresby included officials from departments of the Social, Law and Order Sector, while the participants in Kokopo were from the East New Britain Provincial Government.
The workshops served as a continuation for an earlier workshop on Corruption Risk Assessment and Management in the Public Sector, which UNDP and the Prime Minister and National Executive Council Office had conducted under the EU-funded PNG Anti-Corruption Project in May 2023.
“If we want to eliminate corruption in all public institutions, we need to first have the courage to tackle it in our own departments. UNDP and EU are supporting us in this effort by hosting these important trainings, which we hope to roll out in provinces across the country in the near future,” said Mr. Jeffrey Murley, the Acting Director of the Governance Branch at the Prime Minister and National Executive Council Office.
Jeffrey Murley, the Acting Director of the Governance Branch at the Prime Minister and National Executive Council Office, at the workshop held in Kokopo.
Seru Kepa | UNDP Papua New Guinea
During the workshops, the government officials engaged in interactive sessions led by UNDP experts, where they reflected on corruption risks within their own institutions and analyzed the root causes of corruption at different levels of government. Moreover, the participants learned about practical tools for identifying corruption risks and began working on corruption mitigation strategies for their respective departments.
“It is really important to focus on the preventative side of anti-corruption, because most times people don't even know that they are engaging in corrupt activities. Especially when it comes to issues like recruitment, procurement and enabling opportunities, one often has to explain to people why some common practices are actually problematic. I think this training can be a very practical tool for us to help people in positions of authority understand what constitutes corruption, which will hopefully help us in preventing actual cases of corruption,” said Ms. Josephine Advent Pitmur, Deputy Secretary at the Department of Justice and Attorney General.
Josephine Advent Pitmur, Deputy Secretary at the Department of Justice and Attorney General, was enthusiastic to participate in the workshop.
Seru Kepa | UNDP Papua New Guinea
“The workshops also enable public servants to effectively progress the Sustainable Development Goals for the benefit of Papua New Guineans and support the network of non-state actors in their anti-corruption efforts,” added UNDP Chief Technical Advisor, Dr. Alma Sedlar
The National Anti-Corruption Plan of Action for 2020 – 2025 identified the need to establish corruption risk management systems in public organizations and to incorporate the corruption risk management and mitigation strategies into the general corporate strategy of public organizations as Corruption Risk Management and Mitigation Framework in its Plan of Work 3.
UNDP Chief Technical Advisor, Dr. Alma Sedlar, speaking at the workshop held in Kokopo.
Seru Kepa | UNDP Papua New Guinea
The workshops were organized by the UNDP in partnership with the Prime Minister and National Executive Council Office under the PNG Anti-Corruption Project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP and UNODC.
For more information, please contact:
Juho Valta
Communications Analyst, UNDP Papua New Guinea
juho.emil.aleksi.valta@undp.org
+67579663712
