Despite the rapid economic growth in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region, poor governance and corruption remain a major challenge to human development by fuelling inequalities and undermining access to public services. We live in a region were inequalities are rising, where the largest number of people living in extreme poverty reside 743 million, and an almost equal number, or 700 million people live without electricity.

To curb corruption fourteen countries in the Asia-Pacific region have so far drafted an anti- corruption strategy that is a country’s comprehensive anti-corruption policy document to coordinate national anti-corruption action. The development of anti-corruption strategies has often been driven by the efforts of States Parties to implement preventive measures under the United Nations Convention against Corruption. 

This report reviews the experiences of fourteen countries in the region in designing, implementing, and monitoring anti-corruption strategies as well as the drivers for developing these strategies. It also calls for using evidence-based corruption measurement tools to develop and evaluate anti-corruption strategies effectively. This is essential to avoid that anti-corruption strategies remain mere declaration of intent and ensure that anti-corruption efforts are result-based.