Kofi Annan names Transparency Thailand Chairman to head UN reforms panel

Anand Panyarachun, Chairman of Transparency Thailand and former Prime Minister of Thailand, to pilot investigation into systemic reforms of key UN institutions

Transparency International welcomed today the recent appointment of Anand Panyarachun, the Chairman of Transparency Thailand, its national chapter in the country, as Chairman of the UN's High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change. "This appointment highlights the critical role that the fight against corruption has assumed in the international arena," said Peter Eigen, Chairman of Transparency International.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who made the appointment, believes that "[the UN] need[s] to take a hard look at [its] institutions, including especially the principal organs of the United Nations." The panel, comprised of eminent members such as Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and former head of the World Health Organization, and Brent Scowcroft, former US national security advisor, seeks to "examine the major threats and challenges the world faces in peace and security and make recommendations for … a collective response".

The appointment of Mr Panyarachun to the UN panel comes ahead of the signing in Merida, Mexico on 9-11 December 2003 of the UN Convention against Corruption. Transparency International, the leading international NGO in the fight against corruption, played a significant role in shaping the convention and applauds its approval by the UN General Assembly on 31 October 2003.

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