HONG KONG, March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption (HKIAAC), established by the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in February 2024 to spearhead both local and international anti-corruption training initiatives and experience sharing, is stepping into its second year with reaffirmed commitment.

The HKIAAC, with the full support of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, has accomplished a myriad of initiatives over the past year. A total of 23 international anti-corruption training courses were organised, covering 72 jurisdictions worldwide, to promote international anti-corruption collaboration. The courses covered professional areas including financial investigations, assets recovery, forensic investigations, as well as leadership and executive development. Through these courses, an international network of over 2,616 alumni was established, bringing together the strengths of global anti-corruption experts.

Officers from the HKIAAC also travelled worldwide to provide customized trainings on capacity building, reaching out to places far and wide, including Mali, Kazakhstan, Greece, Panama, Mongolia, South Africa, Brunei and Abu Dhabi. 

Locally in Hong Kong, the HKIAAC has organised 11 anti-corruption training courses catered for different professional sectors such as banking, insurance, property management, etc. The HKIAAC also successfully obtained the Qualifications Framework Level 5 accreditation (equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree), which further affirmed its status as an internationally recognized top-tier anti-corruption training institution.

"These achievements demonstrate HKIAAC's global reach and commitment to impactful anti-corruption training. The ICAC's 50-year solid graft-fighting experience is our greatest edge. ICAC investigators were able to share with trainees their investigation techniques in real corruption cases, anti-corruption knowledge and best practices. We also seized the opportunity to exchange experiences with worldwide participants during trainings, thereby enhancing the graft-fighting capabilities of all parties and achieving a win-win situation," ICAC Commissioner Woo Ying-ming said.  

The past year also saw IAACA's efforts in forging collaborations with international organisations. Apart from partnering with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to co-host various anti-graft initiatives, the IAACA will continue to expand its reach to ACAs around the world to form a powerful graft-fighting network.

Value co-creation in graft fighting

Looking ahead, the HKIAAC will focus on value co-creation in fighting corruption. Collaborations with international academia, including Peking University, Tsinghua University and The University of Hong Kong, the HKIAAC are underway to conduct in-depth studies and research projects on corruption-related topics, from the promulgation of integrity-related public values, social support for fighting corruption, to corruption prevention initiatives. Through interactions and exchanges with different academic stakeholders in these projects, the HKIAAC looks forward to further enhancing its anti-corruption strategies and policies, and sharing significant research results with all graft-fighting counterparts around the world.

"HKIAAC is on a journey to expand global influence, further its reach through targeted initiatives, and amplify its impact in the international anti-corruption arena," Commissioner Woo said.