Director General/Executive Director
Your Highness,
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
I congratulate his Highness, Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, for the enduring dedication and commitment he has shown in combatting corruption.
Now in their second year, the Anti-Corruption Excellence Awards offer an excellent platform for celebrating the bravery and courageousness of all those who stand against corruption.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recognises the destructive impact of corruption, and the need for greater transparency, accountability and good governance.
My thanks to Dr. Al-Marri, Attorney General of the State of Qatar and UNODC Regional Special Advocate for the Prevention of Corruption, for his continuous support, including the work undertaken to fulfill the commitments of the Doha Declaration, and under the Programme, which promotes justice.
Tomorrow is International Anti-Corruption Day, so today's event offers an opportunity to concentrate minds all over the world on corruption's dreadful impact, and how it can be combatted.
There is a desperate need. It is estimated that 2.6 trillion US dollars are lost each year due to corruption. This enormous figure is equal to five per cent of the world's GDP.
We live in a world where every dollar counts, particularly when these funds are directed towards the poorest, most fragile and vulnerable people in societies and communities.
Unlike the victims of other terrible crimes, corruption's victims are not always so obvious.
Indeed, they may not even be aware that corruption is the root cause of their lack of opportunities and services.
Just a couple of examples: the young girl denied the opportunity to progress due to the fact that the funds allocated to build a school have been misappropriated; the desperately ill woman denied a life-saving operation because of the absence of a hospital; or the willing worker prevented from travelling across the river to a better paid job because a bridge was never built.
Like a powerful tsunami, corruption's effect spills out into vulnerable societies, harming people and communities.
Corruption is the great facilitator of other crimes. It enables virtually every form of transnational organised crime: from drug trafficking to human trafficking, and from migrant smuggling to wildlife and forest crime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The 2030 Agenda recognises that battling corruption is tied to the overall efforts to improve education, lift people out of poverty, deliver economic growth, and ring-fence natural resources.
Substantial reductions in corruption, returning stolen assets, and severing the flows of illicit finances are all targeted under Goal 16, which aims to create peaceful and inclusive societies.
Fortunately, we have solid legal tools to combat corruption and bribery.
Chief among these is the UN Convention Against Corruption: the sole legally binding global, and near universal instrument.
Last month, the Seventh Session of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption was held in Vienna.
The sessions provided a strong link between the work done to bolster the full implementation of the Convention by States, and our own work in this field.
UNODC's activities include: supporting countries to fulfil their obligations under the Convention, in particular, the ground-breaking peer review mechanism; working with procurement and customs agencies on risk mitigation strategies; promoting Global Judicial Integrity and Education for Justice networks under the Doha Programme; leading anti-corruption work of the International Consortium to Combat Wildlife Crime; strengthening partnerships with international sporting organizations to prevent corruption in sports; and fighting corruption that helps to finance terrorism, among others.
We are not there yet. We must empower Goal 17 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by creating strong partnerships against corruption.
This includes improved education and youth engagement for enhanced integrity, transparency and accountability in public affairs, and close cooperation with the private sector.
We need to be creative and innovative in maintaining corruption at the top of domestic and international agendas, so that we promote a deep and genuine intolerance of this crime.
And we need anti-corruption champions to come forward to make their voices heard.
I wholeheartedly endorse the lifetime achievement category of the Award, which can further encourage the fight against corruption.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
To quote the Secretary-General from a recent statement he made against corruption:
"Global leaders of all kinds-government, corporate, religious, cultural-must lead by example and prove themselves trustworthy, to restore people's faith in their own institutions and governments."
I once again thank the Emir for his leadership delivered through the support for this awards ceremony and I congratulate the recipients.
Your courage and bravery have revealed a path that the world must strive to follow.
Thank you.