Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun emphasized that integrity in governance is the foundation of a democratic government while attending the second edition of the Integrity Awards Ceremony and Taiwan Transparency Forum Dec. 9 in Taipei City.
In honor of International Anti-Corruption Day, observed on the same day as the event, Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien and Director-General Feng Cheng of the Ministry of Justice’s Agency Against Corruption formally signed a pledge for transparent investigation in line with international standards. The vice premier and François Valérian, chair of the Berlin-based Transparency International, served as witnesses, the Executive Yuan added.
Eight governmental administrative teams received awards for services ranging from environmental protection to information and communications, land and prison administration, and transportation, the vice premier said. She added that these agencies have facilitated open and transparent management while actively promoting civil participation and adopting innovative digital technologies to provide better services for the people of Taiwan.
The vice premier noted that the U.N. General Assembly passed the Convention against Corruption in 2003. Despite not being a member of the body, Taiwan promulgated a law in 2015 to voluntarily implement the convention’s guidelines and release regular national reports, she added.
The U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, inked between the two sides in June 2023, also sets an example of transnational cooperation to fight corruption, the vice premier said, explaining that the agreement includes language around opposing corruption. She drew connections between the document and one of President Lai Ching-te’s major policies aimed at implementing democratic governance by establishing an open government.
The vice premier concluded by voicing her belief that a government free from corruption earns its citizens’ trust, both in itself and in democracy. (POC-E)
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