The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has completed a 20-day campaign to promote December 9 National–International Anti-Corruption Day across eight provinces and the capital. Their efforts aimed to disseminate awareness and encourage participation in combating corruption in society.
The campaign concluded on November 30 along the walking street in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district, with the unit reporting broad participation at all levels — including efforts to “transform the meaning of December 9 into action”.
“The successful results achieved during these 20 days stem from the clear and wise direction, proficiency, and ability to transform time into implementation and concrete outcomes by Yintieng Puthirith, acting president of the ACU, who set strategies to directly promote ‘the fight against corruption’ in the field, reaching all groups of the public, officials, students and pupils — expanding understanding about integrity in public administration,” said an ACU statement.
In the lead-up to this year’s anti-corruption day, themed “A Clean Administration Serving the Interests of the People”, seven ACU working groups with a total of 63 members were deployed to promote awareness across Phnom Penh and seven provinces: Kep, Battambang, Pailin, Kratie, Kampong Thom, Ratanakkiri and Tbong Khmum.
The campaign aimed to instil knowledge about anti-corruption efforts, corruption indicators, the consequences of corruption and various mechanisms for public participation in combating corruption; to promote good governance, transparency and integrity in society; and to demonstrate the government’s strong commitment to strengthening good governance across all sectors.
According to the ACU, the outreach covered 151 target locations, with a focus on educational institutions such as schools and universities, as well as sub-national institutions, including provincial halls, municipal/district halls, line departments, one-window service offices, health centres, provincial police and military commands and police posts. The campaign also reached markets, factories, tourist areas and other places where the public gather.
For the year’s campaign, the ACU connected the theme “Clean Administration Serving the Interests of the People” with the “Pentagon Strategy – Phase I” of Prime Minister Hun Manet. It focused on strengthening the ethics and accountability of officials, providing public services with quality, transparency and fairness, promoting good relations between officials and citizens and prioritising the interests of the people.
A government sub-decree dated December 6, 2010, designated December 9 as “National Anti-Corruption Day”. The designation aimed to raise public awareness on the harms of corruption, promote a culture of transparency and integrity, encourage public participation in preventing and combating corruption, and strengthen cooperation with international organisations and partner countries in fighting corruption, in line with the standards of the UN and the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).
