Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday that countries and economies in Asia and the Pacific region needed to work together to fight against corruption.

"We are living in a globalized world which permits crimes like corruption to be trans-boundary and thus the practical option that we have to combat them is, apart from domestic measures, nothing but to work together bilaterally, regionally and globally," he said during the opening ceremony of the 8th Regional Anti- Corruption Conference, which was attended by officials from 31 countries and economies in Asia and the Pacific region.

Om Yintieng, chairman of the Anti-Corruption Unit of Cambodia, said it was the first time Cambodia hosted the regional conference, which aimed to increase cooperation in the region in the fight against corruption.

"The two-day conference, which is attended by decision makers, experts and practitioners from across the region, will be a good forum to share knowledge, experiences and expertise on the fight against corruption," he said.

Clare Wee, head of the Asian Development Bank's Anti-Corruption and Integrity Office, said anti-corruption was essential to reduce poverty in Asia and the Pacific region, where 1.6 billion people lived on less than 2 U.S. dollars a day.

She said the Asian Development Bank would continue to work closely with all of partners to address the governance and corruption challenges faced by the region. Endi

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