TOKYO, Nov 30: Seventeen Asian nations adopted a legally non-binding plan on Friday to fight corruption, which they said was widespread in the region and hampered economic growth and poverty reduction efforts.

The plan advocates civil service, private business and public awareness action designed to help halt the supply and demand for bribery in publicly funded projects.

Implementation of the plan is to be reviewed at annual meetings, to which each signatory government in the region is to report on their progress.

The agreement came at the end of a three-day anti-corruption conference, the third annual such meeting held by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

“Corruption imposes a costly burden on businesses, with negative implications on growth and the creation of jobs,” Shoji Nishimoto, the director of the ADB’s strategy and policy department told reporters at the end of the gathering.

“Governments must act against corruption to promote growth and development,” he said.

He added countries that adopt the anti-corruption plan were likely to get favourable treatment when it comes to allocating ADB assistance.

Mark Pieth, president of the OECD’s working group on bribery in international business transactions, said the annual scale of corruption equalled the illicit drug trade.

Pieth said its elimination would help fight terrorist groups that thrive on such transactions.

“If we can reduce corruption, we can reduce the likelihood of terrorism,” he said.

The countries that endorsed the action plan are Bangladesh, the Cook Islands, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, the Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Singapore and Vanuatu.

China, where corruption at all levels of government is a problem, and which earlier this month was accepted into the World Trade Organization after a 15-year struggle, did not attend the meeting, which officials said was due to logistical problems.

A Japanese Foreign Ministry official shrugged off China’s absence.

“It’s not an all-or-nothing deal,” the official said. “It would have been better if China had come, but it is not as if we would have been better off not holding the conference at all,” without China, he said.

Nishimoto said the ADB and OECD would try to obtain China’s approval of the agreement soon. “I have no doubt as to the strength of commitment that the Chinese government has in the effort to prevent corruption and bribery and to take action accordingly,” he said.

Six other nations — Cambodia, Kazakstan, Laos, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam — withheld their approval, but officials said they expressed support for the measures and were likely to sign on soon.—AFP TOKYO, Nov 30: Seventeen Asian nations adopted a legally non-binding plan on Friday to fight corruption, which they said was widespread in the region and hampered economic growth and poverty reduction efforts.

The plan advocates civil service, private business and public awareness action designed to help halt the supply and demand for bribery in publicly funded projects.

Implementation of the plan is to be reviewed at annual meetings, to which each signatory government in the region is to report on their progress.

The agreement came at the end of a three-day anti-corruption conference, the third annual such meeting held by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

“Corruption imposes a costly burden on businesses, with negative implications on growth and the creation of jobs,” Shoji Nishimoto, the director of the ADB’s strategy and policy department told reporters at the end of the gathering.

“Governments must act against corruption to promote growth and development,” he said.

He added countries that adopt the anti-corruption plan were likely to get favourable treatment when it comes to allocating ADB assistance.

Mark Pieth, president of the OECD’s working group on bribery in international business transactions, said the annual scale of corruption equalled the illicit drug trade.

Pieth said its elimination would help fight terrorist groups that thrive on such transactions.

“If we can reduce corruption, we can reduce the likelihood of terrorism,” he said.

The countries that endorsed the action plan are Bangladesh, the Cook Islands, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, the Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Singapore and Vanuatu.

China, where corruption at all levels of government is a problem, and which earlier this month was accepted into the World Trade Organization after a 15-year struggle, did not attend the meeting, which officials said was due to logistical problems.

A Japanese Foreign Ministry official shrugged off China’s absence.

“It’s not an all-or-nothing deal,” the official said. “It would have been better if China had come, but it is not as if we would have been better off not holding the conference at all,” without China, he said.

Nishimoto said the ADB and OECD would try to obtain China’s approval of the agreement soon. “I have no doubt as to the strength of commitment that the Chinese government has in the effort to prevent corruption and bribery and to take action accordingly,” he said.

Six other nations — Cambodia, Kazakstan, Laos, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam — withheld their approval, but officials said they expressed support for the measures and were likely to sign on soon.—AFP