9 December 2016: UN leaders called for ending corruption in the interests of achieving broad-based development, peace and prosperity, as they marked International Anti-Corruption Day around the world.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon observed that corruption is a barrier to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as it weakens education and health, undermines electoral processes, and reinforces injustices.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon observed that corruption is a barrier to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as it weakens education and health, undermines electoral processes, and reinforces injustices.
In a separate statement, Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), concurred, stating that corruption directly threatens the estimated US$90 trillion of infrastructure investment that is needed to support global growth and development from 2015 – 2030. He noted that Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16) on peace, justice and strong institutions includes a commitment to substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms (target 16.5).
Fedotov also highlighted the UN Convention Against Corruption, its peer review mechanism, and the UNODC’s support for capacity building and legislative reform in this area. He called on the private sector to be actively engaged in creating a “zero tolerance culture” in supply chains.
The UN Convention Against Corruption entered into force in December 2005. The Convention includes measures to prevent and criminalize corrupt acts, and provides for international cooperation among countries, including on the recovery of stolen assets.
UNODC and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are running a campaign to fight corruption, on the theme of ‘Corruption: An impediment to the SDGs.’ In a blog post for UNDP, Magdy Martínez-Solimán, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Assistant Administrator, emphasized that achieving peaceful, just and inclusive societies will not be possible without curbing illicit financial flows, tax evasion, bribery and corruption, which he said, bogs down legitimate business, destroys clean competition for contracts and undermines public confidence.
Martínez-Solimán highlighted the work of the NGO Transparency International, which organized the 17th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Panama from 1-4 December 2016. He noted that the theme of the conference, ‘Time for Justice, Equity, Security, and Trust,’ was a response to public anger and frustration with the lack of decency in public office and private business. He called for expanding civic space to protect civil liberties and freedom of expression.
In a press release on the Day, the UN Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC) highlighted the findings of a European Commission, February 2014 report, which found that corruption remains a serious issue in Europe, and is costing the EU around €120 billion a year. UNRIC noted that the global cost of corruption is more than 5% of global gross domestic product (GDP). The UN agency also drew attention to the outcome of the 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which took place in Doha, Qatar, from 12-19 April 2015, and was jointly organized with the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Centre (ROLACC). The conference outcome document was titled, ‘Doha Declaration on Integrating Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice into the Wider United Nations Agenda to Address Social and Economic Challenges and to Promote the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels, and Public Participation.’
The Government of Qatar hosts ROLACC, which cooperates with UN agencies to provide capacity building, training, conferences and seminars aimed at spreading awareness and knowledge of policies and tools to prevent and combat corruption. ROLACC marked International Anti-Corruption Day with the presentation of the inaugural Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Anti-Corruption Excellence Award in Vienna, Austria, to recognize significant global efforts to combat corruption. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov, and several Qatari dignitaries attended the award ceremony. The awards were presented in four categories: innovation; research; youth creativity; and lifetime achievement.
Speaking at the award ceremony, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the efforts of the Emir of Qatar and the Government of Qatar against corruption. He urged all concerned not to allow “the corrosive acid of corruption” to hinder efforts to lift billions of people from poverty and to create a better world with equality and justice for all. [UN Press Release] [UN Secretary-General’s Message] [UNODC Executive Director’s Message] [UN Convention Against Corruption Website] [EU Anti-Corruption Report] [Doha Declaration] [UNODC Press Release] [Magdy Martínez-Solimán Blog Post] [UNRIC Press Release] [Panama Conference Web Page] [ROLACC Website]