Director General/Executive Director
A version of this article was published in Arabic in Al-Ittihad (UAE) on 9 December 2019
Corruption is a crime that makes nearly all other crimes possible and profitable. Human trafficking, drug trafficking, poaching of wildlife and theft of natural resources and cultural heritage - all rely on bribes, false papers, money laundering, on the abuse of public trust for private gain and a willingness to turn a blind eye to violations.
Corruption prolongs war and prevents peace. Corruption begets still more corruption, stopping development. Cynicism takes hold, driving desperation and anger. The siren call of terrorism is rooted in hopelessness bred of corruption.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the entity of the UN Secretariat that addresses global challenges of drugs, organized crime, terrorism and corruption, and supports governments to deal with these threats. After nearly a decade serving as Executive Director of UNODC, I believe that corruption is the sinister enabler of some of the worst problems we face. I am also convinced that by preventing and combatting corruption we can confront some of the major challenges facing the world today.
By curbing corruption we can stop the drain on public resources caused by illicit financial flows. Ensuring that money can go where it belongs - to schools, to hospitals, to build roads and create opportunities - would be a major step towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by world leaders in 2015 to tackle poverty and inequalities.
Indeed, SDG 16 specifically targets reducing corruption and bribery, as well as curbing illicit financial flows and recovering stolen assets. But we must also recognize that anti-corruption action can advance progress towards all of the SDGs - to foster fair economic growth and end hunger, protect the environment and good health, prevent human rights violations and achieve justice.
We have the tools we need to step up this fight. The United Nations Convention against Corruption brings together nearly every country in the world to fight this crime. The Convention provides the means to cooperate across borders, strengthen prevention and law enforcement action and recover stolen assets. Through the Convention, UNODC provides training and technical assistance to countries that need it most, to help ensure that there are no safe havens for the corrupt.
The Convention is comprehensive in its approach and clear in highlighting the importance of partnerships - between the public and private sectors, with civil society and concerned citizens.
Based on the UN Convention against Corruption, we have strengthened and expanded work across a broad range of areas, to improve "whistleblower" protection; provide resources for companies to reinforce ethics and compliance programmes; safeguard sports as well as major public events from corruption; and to protect the integrity of the UN's own procurement processes.
From 16 to 20 December, governments from around the world will meet at the Conference of the States Parties in Abu Dhabi to address all areas of corruption, from strengthening prevention and the work of financial intelligence units to addressing new areas of environmental crime, safeguarding sports integrity and harnessing new technologies as well as engaging youth to fight corruption.
Importantly, the meeting will prepare for the first-ever General Assembly Special Session on combatting corruption which will take place in New York in 2021. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has launched a task force with UNODC and other UN system partners to support this global action.
The conference should not be treated as a talk shop but as an exceptional opportunity to advance our work and engage all stakeholders in this fight. The work we will begin in Abu Dhabi will keep the international spotlight on corruption through next year and beyond, offering a genuine chance to agree new approaches and seek innovative solutions to corruption threats facing all our countries.