Director General/Executive Director
Deputy Minister Syromolotov,
Ambassador Accili,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for joining us today to discuss ways in which the international community can safeguard sport from corruption. I am grateful to Italy and to the Russian Federation for co-sponsoring this event.
Cheering for our favourite teams and athletes brings us together. The positive emotions which sport generates build community and contribute to the broader social good.
For the United Nations, harnessing this potential can help to promote peace and achieve the 2030 Agenda, which explicitly recognizes the role of sport as an enabler of sustainable development.
But sport cannot fulfil this role if it is tarnished by criminal activity and the integrity of sporting events is undermined by corruption.
The international community is well aware of this. I welcome the increased determination to use the tools of multilateral cooperation to counter corruption in sports and the improved understanding of the solutions multilateral cooperation can provide.
The adoption of resolution 7/8 by the Conference of State Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption in November 2017 was a landmark moment for international efforts to prevent and combat corruption in sport.
The need for progress on this front was reiterated in two General Assembly resolutions last year.
Today's event provides a timely opportunity to share resources and good practices in tackling corruption in sport, as preparations are underway for the next Conference of State Parties in Abu Dhabi in December.
As mandated by resolution 7/8, UNODC is bringing together a wide range of stakeholders to help prevent corruption in sport, raise awareness and deliver technical assistance to promote sports integrity.
UNODC, through its Global Programme on Safeguarding Sport from Crime and Corruption, responds to the need for multi-stakeholder approaches for standard-setting and capacity-building.
Building and developing sustainable partnerships is an essential part of our efforts.
An enhanced partnership agreement with the International Olympic Committee signed in 2018 has enabled us to deliver, jointly with the IOC and with INTERPOL, a series of national workshops for authorities from Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Japan and Qatar.
A new publication, Reporting Mechanism in Sport: A Practical Guide for Development and Implementation, which will be launched here today, is another direct result of this partnership.
As part of the International Partnership against Corruption in Sport, or IPACS, launched in 2017, UNODC is proud to co-Chair with the IOC a new task force to explore ways to enhance cooperation between criminal justice authorities and sport organizations.
We also look forward to organizing the IPACS General Conference, in Abu Dhabi this coming December ahead of the Conference of State Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption.
More broadly, UNODC is engaging with the international sports community, including the Asian Football Confederation, FIFA, the International Cricket Council, the Tennis Integrity Unit, and UEFA, among others.
And we value our collaboration with UN and other partners, including UNESCO, ILO, EUROPOL, the Council of Europe, the European Commission and OECD, who are committed to strengthening integrity in sport and tackling other forms of organized crime.
Ladies and gentlemen,
UNODC is dedicated to enabling sport to contribute to achieving the SDGs, including Goal 16 on peaceful, just and inclusive societies.
I hope you will make best use of this conference to make progress. UNODC is here to support you.
I wish you fruitful discussions. Thank you.