The OECD and UNDP have long-standing engagement with Southeast Asian economies, including on the promotion and implementation of RBC standards and combating corruption.

The OECD and UNDP have been working with ASEAN member countries as well as various ASEAN bodies to promote responsible business conduct and business integrity through ongoing regional programmes, namely the OECD South East Asia Anti-Corruption and Business Integrity Project, the EU-ILO-OECD Responsible Supply Chains in Asia Programme and the UNDP FairBiz - Promoting a Fair Business Environment in ASEAN.

As part of these projects, the OECD partnered with UNDP to conduct research on anti-corruption compliance and RBC in Southeast Asia, with an additional focus on specific corruption challenges and compliance adaptations to the COVID-19 crisis. The research objectives were designed to obtain first-hand information on the practices and challenges faced by businesses across the region.