The Sixth Session of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption currently holding in St Petersburg, Russia is aimed at tackling corruption, illicit financial flows and stolen assets critical to development.
The conference, the world’s largest anti-corruption gathering, is bringing together people from member states, parliament, inter-governmental organisations, civil society, private sector and the media.
Speaking at the opening session, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Yury Fedotov, hailed the identification of corruption and bribery as a target the Sustainable Development Goals.
“UNODC very much welcomes the international community’s recognition that Goal 16 on justice and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions is cross-cutting in its scope and impact,” said Fedotov.
Fedotov made it clear that reducing corruption and bribery, as well as addressing illicit financial flows and recovery of stolen assets, are critical to promote economic growth and investment.
“Such action,” the UNODC Chief noted, “is also necessary if we want to confront organized crime and violence; stop the exploitation and trafficking of children and women; preserve the environment; ensure sustainable consumption and production; reduce inequality; and build resilient infrastructure.”
His speech, titled: “Countering corruption and the implementation of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals,” identified corruption and bribery as a target of Goal 16 and it is viewed as essential to achieving many of the other targets under this and other goals, and realizing the whole of the post-2015 development agenda.
Underpinning efforts against corruption and bribery is the UN Convention against Corruption, which has created a well-established peer review mechanism, now going into its second cycle.
The review mechanism has helped identify the technical assistance needs of developing countries, so that targeted anti-corruption support can be provided to nations.
Speaking about UNODC’s own anti-corruption activities, Fedotov said the organization was working as the secretariat to the Implementation Review Mechanism, and offered “long-standing research expertise on all aspects of crime, including surveys on the experience of bribery, can help to support implementation of Agenda 2030”.
More than 1,000 people from Member States, including heads of anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria, are in attendance.
More than 30 side events are being held on the margins of the conference on how to better tackle corruption.
The UN Convention against Corruption is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument and was adopted in 2003.
Every two years, the States Parties to the Convention meet to review implementation of the Convention and discuss how States can better tackle corruption.