The Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), in collaboration with the UN Global Compact Network Thailand (UNGCNT) and the Thai Institute of Directors Association (IOD), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance private sector participation in anti-corruption efforts. This initiative aims to improve Thailand’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score, fostering greater transparency, ethical business practices, and regional competitiveness.
Bhumivisan Kasemsuk, Secretary-General of the PACC, presided over the event and gave a lecture on “The Importance of Public-Private Cooperation in Preventing and Suppressing Corruption in Thailand.” The event, attended by PACC executives, government and private sector leaders, embassy representatives, and foreign chambers of commerce in Thailand, gathered 150 participants. The cooperation will be implemented in three phases.
In the short term, the focus is on raising awareness among government and private sector agencies about the cooperation framework for enhancing private sector participation in tackling corruption. In the medium term, efforts will be made to promote and support the use of technology to increase transparency, reduce the discretionary power of government officials, and enhance efficiency in permit-related operations. For the long term, the plan includes supporting the adoption of internal control standards by private sector organizations and proposing incentives to encourage ethical business practices and voluntary anti-corruption investments.
The PACC Secretary-General emphasized that improving the CPI score is a key government policy. Civil society and the private sector should have access to information on government operations to create systematic oversight.
The event aimed to gather private sector feedback on current corruption perceptions and obstacles, fostering tangible changes, investor and foreign confidence, and enhancing the country’s regional competitiveness. This initiative will serve as a crucial mechanism for improving Thailand’s CPI score. (NNT)
