July 2019 Newsletter
Partnership on anti-corruption course under way A new partnership between the University of the South Pacific (USP) and the United Nations in the Pacific, underscores the important role education plays in the fight against corruption and in the promotion of good governance, transparency and accountability. The partnership, launched in April, is established through the design and implementation of a new 200 level anticorruption course which will be delivered under the Faculty of Business and Economics through the School of Government, Development and International Affairs. Implemented through the United Nations Anti-Corruption Project (UNPRAC), a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the new course complements the mandatory “The course will equip students to be Ethics unit currently offered by USP. champions of anti-corruption in their Mr Sanaka Samrasinha, the UN Resi- respective fields,” he said. dent Coordinator (UNRC) to Fiji and Mr Samrasinha also highlighted the nine other Pacific Island Countries, em- strategic importance of USP in supphasized how corruption can hinder porting the Pacific Regional Education development aspirations of countries Framework which promotes a human which negatively increases the impacts rights approach to education and seeks on the most vulnerable. to empower Pacific Islanders fully en-
joy, without barriers, the benefits of education. “UN-PRAC’s partnership with USP will equip students who will be Pacific leaders of tomorrow to be champions of anti-corruption in their respective fields. Youth has been a focus for UN-PRAC and this initiative builds on strong civic education and youth networking activities implemented throughout the years. The USP Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, stressed the value of effective partnerships in preventing and fighting corruption. Corruption, Professor Ahluwalia claimed, is a threat for both the public and private sectors across different countries in the Pacific. It is essential that governments, universities and the private sector work together to eradicate corruption and fraud.