South Korea’s Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will host the 2026 Anti-Corruption Forum in Seoul from Thursday, marking a decade of collaboration to strengthen anti-corruption systems across developing countries.
Speaking ahead of the two-day event, ACRC Chairperson Jung Il Yeon said the forum would bring together representatives from 17 countries, international organisations, governments, academia, civil society and the private sector to review the achievements of the 10-year partnership and chart future anti-corruption strategies.
Jung said the partnership had evolved beyond knowledge-sharing into a platform driving governance reforms across multiple regions.
Since signing a memorandum of understanding in 2015, the ACRC said it has implemented anti-corruption technical assistance projects under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Partnership Programme, sharing South Korea’s anti-corruption systems with 14 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and Oceania.
According to Jung, the initiative has helped partner countries strengthen their legal and institutional frameworks by introducing tools such as the Comprehensive Integrity Assessment of Public Institutions, Corruption Risk Assessment, the Clean Portal digital reporting platform, and whistleblower protection mechanisms.
He said several countries had embedded these systems into national anti-corruption policies, while Mongolia and Uzbekistan also introduced or amended whistleblower protection laws after establishing Clean Portal systems.
The commission added that dedicated anti-corruption units have also been created in partner countries, alongside specialised training programmes designed to improve the capacity of public officials to implement integrity reforms.
Jung said South Korea’s technical support was now generating wider regional cooperation, with beneficiary countries helping neighbouring nations adopt similar reforms.
He noted that Colombia had shared its experience with corruption risk assessments with Mexico, while Uzbekistan was supporting Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries in implementing South Korea’s integrity assessment and Clean Portal systems.
Montenegro also showcased its adoption of the Comprehensive Integrity Assessment of Public Institutions as a best practice during the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, he added.
The ACRC said South Korea had also recorded steady improvements in national integrity through sustained anti-corruption reforms.
According to Jung, this year’s forum will focus on developing new strategies for transparency and accountability in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
Discussions will cover lessons from international anti-corruption assistance, legal reforms, partnerships with the private sector to build integrity systems, and the use of AI and digital technologies to combat corruption.
Jung stressed that corruption had become a global challenge requiring coordinated international action rather than isolated national efforts.
He said the forum would serve as a platform for governments, international organisations and private-sector stakeholders to develop practical strategies for strengthening global anti-corruption cooperation.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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