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Ghada Waly, the Executive Director of UNODC, addresses the audience at the opening of COSP10 (© UNIS Vienna).
Corruption deprives societies of both livelihoods and hope. The UN has therefore been making efforts to tackle corruption for 20 years now. And with undeniable success, although certain forms of corruption stubbornly persist. Within the UN, Belgium primarily focuses on corruption and environmental crimes.
The United Nations (UN) is a tree with many branches. Did you know that there is also a body that fights against corruption? The UN set up the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) back in 2003, and it is the international community's first and only legally binding anti-corruption instrument. With 190 countries now having ratified the convention, it's safe to say it has pretty much universal validity.
Abuse of position
Corruption takes various forms. It always comes down to an individual abusing their position (of power) to improperly procure a benefit for him or herself, or for others, in the latter case in return for payment or reciprocal benefits, or as a favour.
It might take the form of an 'extra' you have to pay to obtain a service from a public official, even though you have a right to this service for free. Or an investor bribing a government official to illegally obtain a permit to cut down a strip of forest to allow agriculture or mining. Or a company that pays kickbacks to get regulations drafted in ways that suit it.
Sustainable Development Goals
It is clear that corruption undermines integrity, good and honest governance, but also human rights. It eats away at the foundations of democratic institutions, by subverting elections and eroding the rule of law.
Human trafficking, smuggling, money laundering, tax evasion and environmental crime are all practices that are facilitated through corruption. Corruption is also the lifeblood of international criminal networks.
Economic development also sustains enormous damage from corruption. For example, in some countries it deters foreign investment, while small businesses there find it difficult or impossible to get off the ground because they cannot pay the 'start-up costs' they are required to pay under corrupt practices.
In short, the negative impact of corruption has far-reaching consequences. Just about all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - the UN's roadmap to a better world by 2030 - are adversely affected by it. In other words, anti-corruption efforts are crucial to achieving the SDGs more rapidly.
Peer review
It was in fact the realisation of the vast global impact of corruption that prompted the UN to draft the anti-corruption convention in 2003. All signatory countries have undertaken to jointly take binding measures to stem corruption. The convention covers 5 areas: preventive measures, criminalisation and law enforcement, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance and information exchange.
The basic tool in this regard is the peer review. Each country is regularly reviewed by 2 other countries. The result is a series of recommendations to improve the country's anti-corruption policy. In 2017, for example, Belgium was assessed for preventive measures and asset recovery. Our country scored rather well in terms of preventive measures, but there were still areas for improvement. For example, the institutions of the judiciary were not cooperating effectively enough, and not enough data was exchanged as the systems were not compatible.
Growing awareness
Over the last 20 years of UNCAC, peer reviews have successfully identified over 9,000 shortcomings in the implementation of the convention, in addition to 4,000 cases of required technical assistance. Regional anti-corruption platforms help ensure that best practice and challenges are shared more easily. This helps countries implement UNCAC decisions more quickly.
UNCAC can already be proud of its track record so far. For example, since 2010, $4.3 billion in assets acquired through corruption have been returned to the countries where they were stolen. But above all, there is now more awareness of the importance of fighting corruption. Certain practices that used to be commonplace are now unacceptable. Such as a European company trying to gain access to a market in Asia via its government.
There is also a strong realisation among countries in the South that corruption is undermining their development. Poorer countries also suffer the most from corruption. Between 2011 and 2020, 37.6% of people in low-income countries had to pay a bribe to obtain a public service, compared with 7.2% in high-income countries. They can often only get a loan from the International Monetary Fund if they are effectively tackling corruption with enough intensity.

Posters with quotes from young people about corruption (© UNIS Vienna).
Young people take a stand
Every 2 years, all 'parties' to the convention - the signatory countries - meet to discuss progress. In December 2023, the 10th COSP - Conference of the State Parties - was held in Atlanta, USA. One notable aspect was the many representatives from the private sector, civil society and young people. Indeed, they all have a vital role to play in the fight against corruption.
'We, the youth, are victims of corruption,' one young attendee declared. ‘Victims deprived of opportunities and robbed of the future we dream of. As victims of corruption, we must have a say in solving this problem.'
The current geopolitical context made it difficult to reach a consensus. Yet the vast majority of the parties remain steadfast in their support of the convention. As UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly put it, 'The conference showed that the Convention is more relevant than ever in these times of fragile trust and challenges to the rule of law. There is so much potential for the Convention to have greater impact'.
Belgium and environmental crimes
The fight against corruption is also a priority for our country. Within UNCAC, Belgium primarily focuses on corruption and environmental crimes. For example, at COSP10, the Belgian representative presented a report co-funded by Belgium, Rooting out Corruption: an Introduction to Addressing the Corruption Fuelling Forest Loss. The study argues that only a broad range of measures can prevent, identify and root out corruption in the area of deforestation. Belgium has previously spent €2 million to curb the illegal trade in ivory, tropical timber and forest meat in Africa, among other things.
UNCAC is part of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), based in Vienna.
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