Director-General/Executive Director
Excellencies,
Dear members of the GlobE Network,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted to join you today for the fourth GlobE Network meeting of anti-corruption practitioners.
Today’s meeting comes at a time of immense global challenges, where the Sustainable Development Goals have stalled and where corruption is corroding the foundations of our societies, creating fertile ground for organized crime, amplifying the impact of climate change on the most vulnerable, and depriving the poorest of desperately needed resources.
With the SDG Summit around the corner, we need new accelerators and fresh thinking to revitalize the SDGs and put us back on the path towards achieving Agenda 2030. This includes enhancing our efforts to root out corruption, which is undermining sustainable development in all countries, be they rich or poor, and in the Global North or South.
When the GlobE Network was created two years ago, the world was still grappling with the effects of COVID-19, corruption contributed to draining public coffers of the resources needed to recover from the pandemic, and several developing countries were spiralling into a debt crisis.
To improve and support responses to corruption and fill the gaps in our responses, there was a need for a global platform to strengthen our efforts against corruption, facilitate cross-border cooperation, and ensure swift and effective collaboration. The GlobE Network was that response.
As its Secretariat, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime is proud to support the Network’s efforts to connect countries in addressing corruption.
I would like to extend my gratitude to the Chair of the Network, Spain, and the Vice-Chair, Saudi Arabia, for their leadership and for bringing us together on this occasion to facilitate discussions on ongoing cases and identify new avenues for collaboration among its members.
We have come a long way since the Network became operational.
In the space of just two years, its membership has grown at lightning speed, connecting 161 law enforcement bodies from 91 Member States, a testament to the need for such platforms to address corruption on a global scale and to the power of collaboration.
Guided by its Charter to strengthen international cooperation among law enforcement authorities, the Network has become a catalyst for building bridges across and within jurisdictions, fostering information sharing, nurturing trust, and cultivating lasting partnerships.
It has developed new tools and products to share best practices within the Network, tailored to the needs of each of its members, and is actively providing capacity-building for anti-corruption practitioners.
It is working closely with the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative, a partnership between UNODC and the World Bank that supports governments in their efforts to end safe havens for corrupt funds and prevent money laundering.
And it is playing a vital complementary role in facilitating collaboration between other key anti-corruption partners, such as the Financial Action Task Force, INTERPOL, the Egmont Group, regional asset recovery networks, as well as the World Bank and the OECD, serving as a channel for sharing information, knowledge, and expertise to recover stolen assets and proceeds from transnational organized crime.
The Network is indeed proving to be a growing force against corruption, united in its determination to safeguard the principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability.
Such alliances are crucial in confronting the pervasive and devastating consequences of corruption, which undermine the rule of law, erode trust in institutions, and perpetuate poverty and inequality.
Billions of dollars are lost each year to fraud, bribery, and money laundering, affecting all sectors, from healthcare and education to public services and private businesses – money which could have been invested in long-term, sustainable economic growth, but which instead greased the wheels of corruption and organized crime.
Today’s increasingly digital world also makes it easier for money and stolen proceeds to be moved around the world at the click of a button, while investigations and requests for mutual legal assistance can often be cumbersome and time-consuming, and fail to keep pace.
The GlobE Network offers a direct, informal, and agile platform to promote information exchange and joint action between law enforcement authorities in a timely and efficient manner, allowing them to discuss operational issues and make progress in investigations.
Last year, the Network acquired an important new tool to support these efforts, the GlobE encrypted communication platform, which enables the exchange of sensitive information quickly and securely, and which was used over 2,000 times by more than 70 users in its first six months alone.
Such technologies play an increasingly pivotal role in our fight against corruption, so I strongly encourage members to use them, and to continue being on the look-out for new ways to enhance international cooperation against corruption.
In December, the US will be hosting the tenth Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption, the UNCAC, which this year marks its 20th anniversary, and which remains as relevant today as it was two decades ago, having achieved near-universal adherence with 189 States Parties.
The CoSP will offer a valuable opportunity for members of the GlobE Network present to expand their connections, including with non-GlobE members, and for States to review progress, identify gaps, and reaffirm their commitment to the UNCAC.
The Convention provides a comprehensive framework for preventing corruption, promoting law enforcement cooperation, and facilitating asset recovery, and UNODC remains actively engaged in supporting States Parties in fast-tracking its implementation.
Our initiatives span various regions of the world, from the Americas, to Africa, the Western Balkans, and Southeast Asia, with GlobE serving as the integrating element of these efforts, and you can continue to count on our steadfast support going forward.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Your readiness to host various meetings of GlobE is testament to your commitment to the Network, and I am grateful to Spain for having hosted the last plenary and for China’s offer to host the next one in 2024.
Today’s discussions will undoubtedly further enhance the effectiveness of the GlobE Network, solidifying it as a truly global platform that unites anti-corruption practitioners in their tireless efforts to combat corruption worldwide.
I encourage you all to make new connections, discuss ongoing cases, and share your invaluable expertise and ideas.
Together, we can create a world united against corruption – a world that is fairer and more equitable for all.
Thank you, and I wish you productive discussions.