The Solomon Islands has undergone the second cycle of review of the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption conducted by the Republic of Korea and Vietnam.
Following an invitation by the Solomon Islands Government in June 2016 during the Implementation Review Group (IRG) deliberations in Vienna, Austria, Solomon Islands volunteered to be reviewed in the first year of the second review cycle, focusing on Chapters 2 and 5 of the Convention.
Consequently, the Government of Solomon Islands invited the review team for a country visit from the 20th – 22nd September 2017.
The purpose of the visit was to facilitate the review team’s discussions with relevant stakeholders, and to collect additional information to assess Solomon Islands’ compliance with the provisions of UNCAC pertaining to preventive measures and asset recovery.
The second cycle review was officially opened by the Chairman of the Leadership Code Commission, Mr. Solomon Kalu.
In his remarks, Mr. Kalu stated that;
“apart from its undertakings pertaining to the implementation of its anti-corruption policy and frameworks, the Solomon Islands Government is committed to this important review on whether Solomon Islands as a country per its laws and policies have taken into account the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) pertaining to its Chapters on preventive measures and asset recovery”.
The Chairman also provided a brief overview of UNCAC and noted that;
“The fight against corruption is not only a national undertaking because corruption crosses national and international boundaries. Therefore, the fight against corruption must also be on an international footing. There is a need for us to strengthen our domestic laws, taking into account the international nature of corruption”.
Several stakeholders who attended the review were: Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer, Director of Public Prosecution, Solicitor General from the Attorney General Chambers, Ombudsman, Chairman of the Leadership Code Commission, Officials from the Solomon Islands Law Reform Commission, Officials from Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Ministry of Public Service, President of the Solomon Islands Bar Association, Secretary General of the Development Service Exchange, and Representative from Transparency Solomon Islands.
Updates from the Solomon Islands Government’s anti-corruption efforts were presented by the Deputy Secretary to Prime Minister – Mr. Derek Futaiasi.
The Implementation Review Mechanism is divided into two review cycles.
Solomon Islands had undergone the first cycle review pertaining to chapters 3 (Criminalization and Law Enforcement) and 4 (International Cooperation) of the UNCAC in 2014.
Solomon Islands acceded to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2012. This means that Solomon Islands has committed itself to comply with the provisions of UNCAC.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the secretariat to the Implementation Review Mechanism.
– PMO Press
