Rabat, October 25, 2011
Rabat, October 25, 2011
“Universal primary education cannot exist if bribes are needed to enter children into school systems… Reductions in child mortality are more difficult where payments are required to obtain medical assistance,” said Mr. Fedotov.
He stressed that everyone has a role to play in preventing corruption, a global threat and serious roadblock to economic development.
“All of us must contribute to a culture of integrity. The eyes previously closed to corruption must become the open eyes of justice and equality.”
The convention, which came into force in 2005, is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. It obliges States to prevent and criminalize corruption, to promote international cooperation, to recover stolen assets and to improve technical assistance and information exchange in both the private and the public sectors.
The treaty sets out provisions enabling countries to detect and recover money stolen through corruption. UNODC works with the World Bank through the Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiative to help countries trace, confiscate and recover stolen assets.
A study released today by the Initiative shows how most large-scale corruption cases involve the use of legal entities to conceal ownership and control of proceeds of corruption. It also calls on policymakers to take steps to improve transparency to reduce opportunities for wrongdoing.
Mr. Fedotov said that the StAR Initiative is sending out a very clear message: “There can be no safe havens for stolen assets.”
Source: UN News Centre.