Vietnam Business Forum recently spoke to British Ambassador to Vietnam Dr Antony Stokes about the UK’s new role as the lead donor on anti-corruption in Vietnam. Dang Yen reports.
The UK has become lead donor partner on anti-corruption since June. Could you please let us know more about your tasks and your top priorities in this regard for Vietnam in general and for business sector?
Corruption remains a significant problem in Vietnam. The Vietnam Government’s National Anti-Corruption Strategy to 2020 states clearly that preventing and combating corruption is an important task which is both urgent and long-term and one that is responsibility of the entire political system, under the leadership of the Party. This underlines the crucial importance of the anti-corruption effort to Vietnam’s future prosperity and growth, and is a sign of the Government’s commitment to promoting good governance, transparency and accountability.
The UK is taking the role of lead donor very seriously. We are honoured that the Prime Minister, the Government Inspectorate and the Office of the Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption (OSCAC) have placed their trust in us. This shows the increasing strength of the UK/Vietnam bilateral relationship.
Our approach as lead donor is to represent the full international donor community in our combined effort to support the Government Inspectorate and OSCAC anti-corruption agenda, working closely with both of them. At the same time we are also committed to deepening and strengthening our engagement with non-governmental partners, including the business community, civil society and the media. We recognise that the business community and other non-government actors have a vital role to play in strengthening demand within society for anti-corruption.
What are your views on current business participation in anti-corruption and their awareness of integrity and transparency in business?
The business community Vietnam has a vital role to play. It is in everyone’s best interest for the environment of integrity and transparency in business relationships to improve. Corruption has no place in business. It distorts free and fair competition, adds to the costs of doing business, and is harmful to economic development. By working collectively with the Government and other key partners the business community can have a far greater impact in developing new standards of practice and building integrity and transparency. The National Anti-Corruption Strategy to 2020 promotes the engagement of the private sector. Working with our partners in government and the donor community we are exploring ways to promote the role of private sector further, including the foreign companies who are operating in Vietnam.
We and our international partners are also encouraging the government to introduce stricter corporate governance standards and to increase transparency and implement further reforms of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to improve competitiveness in this sector.
As we could see most transnational companies have developed and implemented their own codes of conduct (CoC) regarding integrity and transparency in business. What more could Vietnamese businesses do to get involved in these kind of initiatives?
A code of conduct is an effective way of setting this out clearly what constitutes inappropriate, unethical or corrupt business practices. Foreign businesses in Vietnam are also setting a positive example through their involvement in the Integrity and Transparency in Business Initiative (ITBI), which is a business-led initiative run by the VCCI’s Office of Business Sustainable Development. I would encourage foreign businesses involved in this project to share their best practice with Vietnamese businesses. This is helping to demonstrate the long-term benefits of ethical and transparent business practices. At the same time the UK is setting standards internationally through our own robust anti-bribery legislation, introduced in July this year. Further information about the Bribery Act can be found on the UKTI website.
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative(EITI) is seen as a new initiative for Vietnam, which is being considered by the Government. What is the UK’s view on the effectiveness of EITI?
We welcome the Government of Vietnam’s interest in the EITI, which is an important tool to enhance transparency in the extractive industry. We and our donor partners are working with the government and other key stakeholders to outline the benefits of the EITI to assist them in making an informed decision about joining it. Corruption in the extractive industries sector was the focus of the most recent Anti-Corruption Dialogue in May this year. Tackling corruption and inefficiencies in the extractive industries sector requires real commitment from the highest levels to change the way business is done. The ACD also demonstrated the broad range of stakeholders who have a stake in extractive industries. There was active participation from central, provincial and local government, media, academia, civil society,
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