OPENING REMARKSSETO Takeshi *Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure and privilege for me to announce the opening of the Fourteenth
Regional Seminar on Good Governance for Southeast Asian Countries.
We sincerely welcome all of you to this significant forum which is taking place in an
online format for the first time in the history of this seminar. Due to the disruptions causedby the current pandemic, we have, very unfortunately, made the difficult decision topostpone all international training courses in Fiscal Year 2020. However, thanks to theadvancement of technology, it is our great pleasure to be able to continue to host thisseminar despite the pandemic. Some of the target countries have not been able to join theseminar under current situation this year, yet we are delighted that 10 countries, including
Japan, are participating in this seminar.
Since 2007, this seminar has been an exceptional opportunity for criminal justicepractitioners in Southeast Asian countries to share our experiences in pursuit of theeradication of corruption in this region. The seminar has been co-hosted by UNAFEI andparticipating countries: it was first held in Thailand, and then the Philippines, Japan,Malaysia, Indonesia, Viet Nam, and last year Japan again.
Over these thirteen years, we have discussed many important issues in anti-corruption
legislation and criminal justice practices in this region. This time, in our two-day discussion,
we will focus on “Integrity and Independence of Judges, Prosecutors and Law Enforcement
Officials”. One of the most important responsibilities of the criminal justice system is todetect corruption and impose appropriate punishment on corrupt politicians and publicofficials. However, if the criminal justice system, itself, is corrupt, there is no one left tostop the serious risks to democracy and the rule of law. Thus, the integrity of judges,
prosecutors and law enforcement officials is essential. At the same time, if decisions areinfluenced by undue external pressures such as political interference, the rule of law will
also be undermined. Thus, the independence of judges, prosecutors and law enforcement
officials, which facilitates their impartiality, is also indispensable. For this reason, we findit extremely useful to visit this fundamental topic to share each participating country’s legal
frameworks, current situation and best practices on this issue.
In order to deepen our discussion, as a visiting expert, we welcome in this seminar Mr.
Lawrence Chung, the Principal International Liaison and Training Officer at theIndependent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong. I would like toexpress my sincere appreciation to Mr. Chung for joining us to share his expertise andexperiences.
Director, United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment ofOffenders (UNAFEI).

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To all of the distinguished participants, I would also like to thank you for taking
valuable time away from your work to make precious contributions to this seminar. I canassure you that all of us will learn from each other and that will put us further on the path
toward eliminating corruption.
In this seminar, UNAFEI has continued its practice of inviting participants from one or
two criminal justice organizations from each country. And as I said before, some of theseorganizations co-hosted previous seminars. I believe this system establishes not only apersonal network among participants but also an organizational network.
I look forward to seeing this seminar provide a useful forum to exchange expertise andexperience in our common endeavour against corruption, contributing further to thepromotion of good governance in Southeast Asia.
Thank you very much for your attention.

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