Director-General/Executive Director
(delivered on behalf of the Executive Director)
Distinguished representatives and colleagues,
I am pleased to be with you to close this event marking an important milestone for global efforts on business integrity.
I want to thank the UN Global Compact for bringing us together to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Principle Ten of the Compact, as well as the representatives of the business community, governments, international organizations, academia, and civil society who have joined and contributed to this event.
Principle 10 of the Global Compact calls on businesses to work against all forms of corruption, and the phrasing of the principle tells the whole story: it is not just about rejecting or standing up to corruption, but actively working against it.
The voices and actions of the private sector are key in building a culture of integrity, rooted in transparency and accountability.
And this was reflected in today’s event.
You have reaffirmed that companies need to promote ethics practices that go beyond legal compliance and pursue integrity with ambition.
You have reflected on the achievements made under Principle 10 and on the obstacles, trends, and solutions ahead.
And you have listened to the voices of youth and future business leaders, who have rightfully high hopes for the business environment that they will go into.
Now you must take these reflections on board going forward.
Excellencies,
The corruption challenges of today are growing more complex, overlapping with organized crime, new tech, conflict, the environmental crisis, and so much more.
The private sector is integral to many of those problems and their solutions, and your consumers, investors, governments, and employees all expect big things from you.
Your anti-corruption efforts are crucial to safeguard economies and societies through integrity, and to implement the global gold standard of anti-corruption – the UN Convention against Corruption, or UNCAC.
The UNCAC is the legal foundation for Principle 10.
The 20-year anniversary of Principle 10 comes only one year after UNCAC celebrated its own 20-year anniversary, two milestones on our path to greater impact.
As we marked 20 years of UNCAC in Atlanta during the tenth session of the Conference of States Parties, business integrity was central to the agenda.
The private sector was strongly represented, including at the first-ever Private Sector Forum organized by UNODC and the UN Global Compact on the margins, and through the call to action by business to governments that was adopted at the Forum.
The call identified vital priorities for business integrity and for broader anti-corruption efforts, such as strengthening public-private partnerships, leveraging ICT and Artificial Intelligence against corruption, and nurturing future business leaders.
And the session in Atlanta also adopted a resolution on incentives for the prevention of corruption in the private sector.
I am very pleased to see you carry these efforts forward, here on the sidelines of the Summit of the Future, as we look to rescue the SGDs and re-think multilateralism for the 21st century.
Business leadership is integral to achieve Agenda 2030, and to face the global challenges of our times.
Businesses hold the keys to innovation, and a great share of the responsibility, on issues like harnessing new technologies, protecting our environment, and empowering women and young people.
And they need a level playing field and a culture of integrity to realize their potential for positive impact.
As the guardian of Principle Ten, and of the UNCAC, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime is committed to support companies in promoting business integrity, by developing tools and providing technical assistance.
Our Office is working with the public and private sectors, civil society, and academia in several countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America to strengthen legal frameworks, promote public-private dialogue, and guide companies and small and medium-sized enterprises on business integrity.
Earlier this year, we released a new resource Guide on State Measures for Strengthening Business Integrity, together with our partners at the UN Global Compact and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
And in 2025, UNODC and the Compact plan to launch several practical guidance tools on robust anti-corruption ethics and compliance programmes.
We will continue to be your partner, guided by Principle 10 and the UNCAC.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Congratulations on a successful decade of business integrity efforts made possible by our collective commitment to Principle 10 of the UN Global Compact.
We look forward to more decades of work with greater impact, towards cleaner business, fairer markets, and more just and prosperous societies, leaving no one behind.
Thank you.
