Monday Jun 08, 2026
Monday Jun 08, 2026
Monday, 8 June 2026 05:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Miyon Lee
With the aim of supporting the Sri Lankan Government’s broader anti-corruption reform agenda, the Government of the Republic of Korea, together with its national anti-corruption agency, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, the UN Development Program (UNDP) Seoul Policy Centre, in partnership with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and UNDP Sri Lanka, launched the outcomes of the Anti-Corruption Initiative Assessment (AIA) on Saturday at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH).
Drawing on Korea’s experience in integrity assessments, this program worth $ 100,000 was implemented as a pilot initiative in Sri Lanka under the SDG Partnership Project on Transparency and Accountability, where the AIA was introduced to public institutions to review their integrity-related practices, identify areas of risk, and explore practical measures for improvement.
Emphasising the contribution that AIA could make towards the CIABOC’s preventive mandate and its close alignment with the “Clean Sri Lanka” initiative, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Miyon Lee explained that combatting corruption should be regarded as a responsibility of the whole-of-government supported by systems that promote integrity, reduce unnecessary discretion, and generate incentives to improve performance.
Highlighting Korea’s experience, Lee stated that Korea’s integrity assessments are conducted annually across a wide range of public institutions including central government agencies, local governments, educational institutions, public corporations, public medical institutions, and local councils. The 2024 assessment covered 716 public institutions and drew on feedback from approximately 300,000 participants, including citizens who had direct interactions with public institutions as well as public officials working within them.
Stressing on the correlation between good governance and economic confidence, she identified licencing, procurement, taxation, customs, public finance, and regulatory approvals as critical areas where integrity assessments are necessary to reduce uncertainty in public decision-making and enhance confidence among investors.
She expressed hope that Sri Lanka will build beyond the pilot program by developing domestically tailored assessment tools, ensuring a sustainable impact in strengthening transparency, accountability, and good governance, as the country continues to pursue key reforms aimed at attracting investment, expanding trade, accelerating digitalisation, and modernising the public sector.
