Director General/Executive Director
Mr. President,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the outset I would like to thank the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation for holding this international conference on a key component in the global fight against corruption - namely, partnerships between the public and private sectors.
Corruption remains a pervasive, pernicious threat across the globe. It undermines the rule of law, represents a major hindrance to sustainable development, and corrodes the moral fabric of society.
Corruption has a disproportionate impact on vulnerable, poor communities.
Corruption is furthermore bad for business. It stifles growth, distorts competition and undermines investor confidence.
In a global economy, the consequences of corrupt practices can be very far-reaching indeed.
The fight against corruption therefore must be seen as a common responsibility, based on consistent, comprehensive and cooperative responses, involving governments, the private sector and ordinary citizens deciding they want to be part of the solution, not the problem.
During the past decade, an internationally agreed legal framework has been developed to tackle corruption. This framework includes the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which entered into force in 2005 and is nearing universal ratification.
The Convention remains the sole global, legally binding anti-corruption instrument, and as such it can provide us with unique tools to collectively tackle corruption.
This includes action with the private sector. The Convention requires States Parties to foster relationships with the private sector and to institutionalize cooperation, in order to avoid cross-jurisdictional or other conflicts enterprises may face, related, for example to privacy, confidentiality or bank secrecy rules.
At the previous Conference of the States Parties to UNCAC in Panama in 2013, States adopted the first-ever resolution to focus on the private sector.
This resolution urges States to, among other measures:
As for the private sector, their primary responsibility under UNCAC, as it has been implemented in national legislation, is to ensure that their employees, agents and business partners understand and comply with the law.
This is accomplished in the first instance through an effective anti-corruption programme, including a confidential reporting channel. It also entails prompt disclosure and cooperation with enforcement authorities when violations occur.
While some businesses may engage in corruption, possibly to gain a competitive advantage or because they feel they have no choice, the private sector has also been a driver for change, advancing corporate integrity reforms that are reshaping the global anti-corruption landscape.
The steadily evolving international legal framework and the rapid development of corporate governance rules are prompting companies around the world to focus on anti-corruption measures as an essential component of mechanisms to protect their reputation and the interests of their investors and shareholders.
In short, anti-corruption measures are increasingly being seen as good for business, good for shareholders and good for employees.
Governments, meanwhile, have started to pay more attention to how to better encourage corporations to resist and combat corruption, using a range of both sanctions and incentives.
UNODC has developed a number of practical guides to support governments and businesses to advance these responses.
Businesses can lead the way by proactively and effectively implementing internal controls, ethics and compliance measures to prevent corruption in their business operations.
That is why UNODC has produced a publication on concrete steps companies may take to establish an effective anti-corruption ethics and compliance programme.
As the use of incentives to combat corruption is new to many countries around the world, UNODC has also developed a resource guide, which provides a comprehensive overview of sanctions and incentives available to governments to promote and strengthen corporate integrity.
Public procurement involves close interaction between the public and private sectors, and my Office has published a guidebook on Anti-Corruption in Public Procurement and the Management of Public Finances, which provides an overview of good practices in ensuring compliance with article 9 of UNCAC.
I strongly encourage all of you to actively make use of these tools, which are all available in English and Russian and are being handed out at today's conference.
We would also very much welcome your feedback on how UNODC can further support public-private partnerships in the fight against corruption.
This conference provides a good opportunity to advance our collective efforts, as well as contribute to ongoing discussions on how companies can join forces with public institutions in countries where they do business, as well as with international and intergovernmental organizations, to "invest" in building, strengthening and sustaining effective anti-corruption infrastructure.
This dialogue is extremely important, because even if we agree that corruption is a common concern for governments and businesses alike, a lack of communication and coordination can often result from the differing scopes and strategic objectives of the public and private sectors.
The need to further enhance public-private dialogue has been recognized by the Russian Federation, as host of the forthcoming Conference of the States Parties to UNCAC, which will have public-private partnerships as its main theme.
I am confident that the discussions beginning here today can make a valuable contribution to the Conference in November in St. Petersburg, and its goals of strengthening implementation of UNCAC and advancing the fight against corruption.
I look forward to hearing your views. Thank you.