9 December 2014 - Today, UNODC and the UN Development Programme are marking the International Anti-Corruption Day with an awareness-raising campaign which will reach more than 8 million people globally. The campaign's message, 'Break the corruption chain', invites people to avoid being part of everyday acts of corruption which relentlessly undermine education, health, justice, democracy and sustainable development in communities large and small all over the world.
The campaign aims to bring together people from all walks of life in the fight against corruption, serving as a global call for action and raising awareness about the importance of countries ratifying the UN Convention against Corruption. Taking back what is lost to corruption is everyone's responsibility - the International Day is observed the world over by governments and civil society organizations, the private sector and the media and the general public.
On his statement for the Day, UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov said that no country, region or field of endeavour escapes the pull of corruption, adding that this crime "may be seen in missing tracts of forest, lost classrooms, absent hospitals and unbuilt roads. Corruption, today, represents a serious brake on the forward motion of sustainable development and building effective institutions."
"Our global resistance to corruption" added Fedotov, "hinges on every country ratifying and implementing the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), as well as entering into its peer review mechanism." This tool has been useful for participating countries, with results that range from meaningful reform to the strengthening of anti-corruption institutions all over the world.
Speaking about the Convention, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that "its ground breaking measures in the areas of prevention, criminalization, international cooperation and asset recovery have made important inroads, but there is much more to do. Public services must uphold the highest standards of integrity and ensure that appointments are driven by merit. Public servants, as well as elected officials, must be guided by ethics, transparency and accountability."
Anti-Corruption Campaign website : anticorruptionday.org
Message of the UN Secretary-General on International Anti-Corruption Day
Message from UNODC Executive Director on International Anti-Corruption Day