U.S. Government Anti-Corruption Efforts under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity

The American Bar Association (ABA) Rule of Law Initiative’s Justice Sector Training, Research, and Coordination Program (JUSTRAC), together with the ABA International Law Section Anti-Corruption Committee, held the following discussion on U.S. Government Anti-Corruption Efforts under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) on Wednesday, May 29th, 2024, from 10:00am – 11:00am EDT.

In May 2022, the United States launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) with Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Together, the 14 IPEF partners represent 40 percent of global GDP and 28 percent of global goods and services trade.

The IPEF seeks to advance resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness for the partners’ economies. Through this initiative, the IPEF partners aim to contribute to cooperation, stability, prosperity, development, and peace within the region. This framework is projected to offer tangible benefits that fuel economic activity and investment, promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and benefit workers and consumers across the region. To promote a fair economy, one of the four pillars under the IPEF would establish commitments to enact and enforce effective anti-corruption measures.

This convening of U.S. Government interagency personnel, anti-corruption civil society leaders, and anti-corruption legal practitioners provided an opportunity to discuss ways the U.S. Government can effectively utilize the anti-corruption commitments outlined in the IPEF.

The discussion featured the following speakers:

• Kathryn Nickerson, Assistant Chief Counsel, Office of the Chief Counsel for International Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce.
• Gary Kalman, Executive Director, Transparency International U.S.
• Erin Murphy, Senior Fellow, Asia Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).