Event – Legislating for impact: Establishing beneficial ownership transparency frameworks in Asia Pacific

In this side event co-organised by Open Ownership and UNODC, we were joined by an array of compelling speakers sharing their experiences on legislating for beneficial ownership transparency reform during the Open Government Partnership Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting 2025.

Effective legislation is a cornerstone of countries’ efforts against the misuse of anonymously-owned companies for corrupt and illicit practices. Currently, the majority of countries worldwide are planning, implementing, or have implemented central registers of the ‘beneficial owners’ of companies in their jurisdictions. With beneficial ownership registers emerging as a key tool across anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, public procurement, taxation, resource governance, and business integrity, the matter of legislating for impact is multifaceted.

This panel event hosted by Open Ownership and the UNODC brought together experts, legislators, and civil society from across the Asia Pacific region to share insights into how to legislate for effective beneficial ownership transparency reforms. The panel shared practical examples and regional analyses to illustrate the key components of impactful legislation, and consider the role of advocacy and lobbying from within and outside of government in achieving anti-corruption impact through these reforms.

Moderator

• Emily Manuel, Regional Manager for Asia Pacific, Open Ownership

Speakers

• Rowena Candice Ruiz, Executive Director, Government Procurement Policy Board – Technical Support Office (GPPB-TSO), Philippines
• Tatveyk Mkrtchyan, Head, Agency for State Agency of Legal Entities, Armenia
• Sankhitha Gunaratne, Head – Governance and Anti Corruption, Verité Research, Sri Lanka
• Kirbee Tibayan, National Programme Officer, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime