A joint blog by Vanessa Hans, Director, Private Sector, Basel Institute on Governance, and Elodie Beth, Senior Manager, Anti-corruption, Global Relations, Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The post is also published on the OECD website.

Clean, ethical business practices build trust, attract investors and create healthier markets. For the OECD, business integrity is key to levelling the global playing field and enhancing national competitiveness.

Amid global regulatory uncertainty, countries like Indonesia and Thailand are stepping up. Both are taking meaningful steps to strengthen their anti-corruption frameworks as they move towards joining the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention – a critical milestone and prerequisite for future OECD membership.

Their actions reflect a broader shift: governments across Asia increasingly recognise that corruption undermines competitiveness, deters investment and jeopardises sustainable, long-term growth. A 2024 regional study confirms it: Asian countries that have improved their control of corruption are far more likely to attract foreign direct investment and foster long-term growth.

Regional co-operation and the role of Collective Action

Recognising that no single actor can tackle corruption alone, public- and private-sector actors are joining forces at the regional level through the Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific (ACI), co-led by the OECD and Asian Development Bank.

The ACI, jointly supported by the OECD and the Asian Development Bank, launched a business integrity workstream in 2019, initiated by the Government of Viet Nam as the host country. Last year, the Government of Bhutan held business integrity seminars, and in 2025, Indonesia is expected to host the Regional ACI Conference.

These Collective Action efforts are underpinned by the OECD’s 2021 Anti-Bribery Recommendation, the first global standard to formally recognise the role of Collective Action and partnerships between the public and private sectors against foreign bribery.

Spotlight on innovation: Promising business integrity initiatives across the region

From risk mapping to regulatory reform, here are standout examples of how countries are taking action through public-private initiatives:

• Australia: The Bribery Prevention Network brings together business, civil society, academia and government to help small- and medium-sized enterprises prevent, detect and address bribery and corruption while promoting a culture of compliance.
• India: The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network, a global initiative, set up a HelpDesk in India serving as a real-time resolution mechanism that bridges the gap between the shipping industry and local authorities. It collects anonymous reports by shipping companies of bribe solicitation in ports and uses this data to map out risk areas and tailor its strategies to engage with local government authorities.
• Hong Kong, China: The Independent Commission Against Corruption is engaged in several sector-specific Collective Action initiatives, particularly in construction and banking. It collaborates with chambers of commerce and industry associations such as the Construction Industry Council.
• Thailand: In 2024, the Thai government amended its procurement law to recognise certification by the Thai Collective Action Against Corruption (CAC) initiative as proof of a company’s anti-corruption controls. This enables CAC-certified firms to qualify for public contracts above a certain threshold, incentivising private-sector compliance.

These experiences illustrate how government authorities are increasingly participating in Collective Action initiatives to enhance their awareness-raising efforts, gather better evidence and develop tailored solutions that reflect the realities of different sectors and companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises.

By engaging in such initiatives, government authorities can increase their overall outreach, lend greater legitimacy to private-sector anti-corruption efforts and effectively promote the adoption of business integrity policies.

Building a regional community of practice

To sustain momentum, the OECD and the Basel Institute on Governance have launched a regional community of practice.

In 2023, the Asia-Pacific Collective Action Forum was held in Manila, Philippines, bringing together 50+ practitioners from diverse stakeholder groups across the region. The Asia-Pacific Anti-Corruption Collective Action Award recognised the growing number of initiatives in the region and celebrated their achievements. The Thai CAC received the inaugural award.

Encouraged by the Forum’s success, participants expressed strong interest in sustaining and deepening exchanges among practitioners. A follow-up Collective Action workshop was held in 2024 in Bangkok, in collaboration with the Thai CAC. The workshop further strengthened the emerging community of practice and provided a valuable platform for peer learning.

This regional community has created a meaningful space for peer learning and experience sharing. It has also contributed to greater alignment with international standards.

Looking ahead: co-operation as the path forward

These developments show that business integrity reforms are not only possible but already underway.

In 2025, the OECD will release a policy paper examining the link between business integrity frameworks and competitiveness. The paper underscores how public-private cooperation is not only advancing reform, but also makes countries more attractive to investment and resilient to shocks.

Although still in their early stages, the emergence of Collective Action and partnerships between the public and private sectors in Asia offers a promising path forward to advance integrity. Sustained cooperation will be crucial to fully realising the potential of these initiatives.

Learn more and get engaged

• OECD work on fighting foreign bribery
• OECD and ADB Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific
• B20 Collective Action Hub by the Basel Institute on Governance
• Working Paper 48: A collaborative approach to improve business integrity in ASEAN by Lucie Binder, Vanessa Hans and Anna Stransky, Basel Institute on Governance
• Working Paper 56: Anti-corruption Collective Action: A typology for a new era by Scarlet Wannenwetsch, Basel Institute on Governance