Director General/Executive Director
Excellencies,
As guardian of the UN Convention against Corruption, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime welcomes this initiative to strengthen anti-corruption action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
This event is very timely, building a bridge between the London Summit, the forthcoming seventh session of the Conference of the States Parties to UNCAC in Vienna in November and the 2018 International Anti-Corruption Conference in Denmark.
Moreover, UNODC just last week hosted for the first time a meeting of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group.
I very much welcome the opportunity to promote closer links and synergies between all of our efforts.
UNCAC has one hundred and eighty-two States Parties and provides a comprehensive framework to support action not only to achieve specific targets under SDG Sixteen, but to realize the whole of the sustainable development agenda.
UNCAC is supported by a unique peer review mechanism to assess implementation.
In its first cycle, the review mechanism addressed chapter four on international cooperation, and some one hundred and sixty peer reviews have been completed.
Based on this, UNODC will be presenting a comprehensive study at the November session.
Meanwhile, country visits for the second cycle of the review mechanism, focusing on prevention and asset recovery, are ongoing and increasingly involving stakeholders including academic, civil society and the private sector.
Moreover, next month UNODC will be hosting an international expert group meeting in Vienna to address beneficial ownership transparency.
The meeting will discuss the work done by the joint StAR Initiative supported by UNODC and the World Bank to end safe havens and ensure the return of stolen assets.
Excellencies,
The UNCAC peer review mechanism has identified more than 3,500 technical assistance needs.
Developing countries have demonstrated their readiness to address these gaps.
Now we need the international community to live up to commitments and provide the necessary resources.
UNCAC remains the only universal, legally binding anti-corruption instrument to prevent corruption, end impunity, punish the criminals and recover stolen assets.
It also provides an effective platform for engaging governments, business, civil society and other stakeholders in addressing these shared challenges.
We must put these tools to use more effectively, and most importantly help each other to do so, based on the principle of shared responsibility and in line with SDG Seventeen on partnerships.
The Conference of the States Parties to UNCAC in November offers an important opportunity to advance this dialogue, with a number of agenda items relating directly to specific SDG targets to promote accountable institutions and the rule of law; to reduce corruption, bribery and illicit financial flows; and to strengthen effective recovery of stolen assets.
UNODC is here to help you.
Thank you.