Ban Ki-moon: break the corruption chain

Message from UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon,
  on International Anti-Corruption Day
9 December 2015

Global attitudes towards corruption have changed dramatically. Where once bribery, corruption and illicit financial flows were often considered part of the cost of doing business, today corruption is widely — and rightly — understood as criminal and corrosive. The new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, our plan to end poverty and ensure lives of dignity for all, recognizes the need to fight corruption in all its aspects and calls for significant reductions in illicit financial flows as well as for the recovery of stolen assets.

Corruption has disastrous impacts on development when funds that should be devoted to schools, health clinics and other vital public services are instead diverted into the hands of criminals or dishonest officials.

Corruption exacerbates violence and insecurity. It can lead to dissatisfaction with public institutions, disillusion with government in general, and spirals of anger and unrest.

The United Nations Convention against Corruption provides a comprehensive platform for governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and individual citizens. Through prevention, criminalization, international cooperation and assets recovery, the Convention advances global progress toward ending corruption.

On International Anti-Corruption Day, I call for united efforts to deliver a clear message around the world that firmly rejects corruption and embraces instead the principles of transparency, accountability and good governance. This will benefit communities and countries, helping to usher in a better future for all.

International Anti-Corruption Day

9/12/2015 – International Anti-Corruption Day provides us all with a unique opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made over the past year in the global fight against corruption, but also to think about the work that remains to be done in the years ahead. Fighting corruption is one of the OECD’s highest priorities, and today we are proud to join anti-corruption activists around the world in raising awareness of the severe impact of corruption on creating a stronger, cleaner and fairer world economy.

Corruption permeates—and facilitates—some of the most important global threats of our time, such as terrorism, climate change and the refugee crisis. It is therefore vital that we come together with a collective response to eradicate corruption. Multiple events at the OECD Conference Centre this week have seen a wide range of stakeholders teaming up to share knowledge and collaborate on this issue. Anti-corruption law enforcement practitioners from around the globe are meeting for the first time to share good practices, exchange modern and effective methods of investigation and build solid networks for future collaboration. Today, the OECD Working Group on Bribery will meet with private sector stakeholders from the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC) for a roundtable to discuss strengthening joint public and private sector initiatives to combat corruption.

These events are helping to prepare the ground for the next major push to keep the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention at the forefront of the global fight against bribery. Sixteen years after the Convention first came into force, the OECD Working Group on Bribery will officially launch the fourth round of monitoring at a ministerial meeting on 16 March 2016.

For an overview of OECD work on anti-corruption please visit http://www.oecd.org/corruption.

Journalists should contact the OECD Media division (tel. + 33 1 45 24 97 00).