Siddarth Dubey
Fighting corruption is a global concern because corruption is found in both rich and poor countries, and evidence shows that it hurts poor people disproportionately. It contributes to instability, poverty and is a dominant factor driving fragile countries towards state failure.Governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, the media and citizens around the world are joining forces to fight this crime. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are at the forefront of these efforts.The 2015 joint international campaign focuses on how corruption undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to human rights violations, distorts markets, erodes quality of life and allows organized crime, terrorism and other threats to human security to flourish.The aim of the UNODC/UNDP 2015 anti-corruption communication campaign is to support a positive and pro-active stance against corruption. The United Nations Convention against Corruption will be promoted as the key tool to fight corruption worldwide and as the impetus for a global and forceful movement
Corruption takes a serious toll on the environment. A number of sectors are particularly vulnerable to corruption, including forestry, the protection of endangered species, water supply, oil exploitation, fisheries and hazardous waste management. From embezzlement during the implementation of environmental programmes, to grand corruption when permits and licenses for natural resources exploitation are issued, to the petty bribery of officials – corruption occurs at any, and every, level. Corruption also makes it possible for environmental and social safeguards to be ignored or bypassed. While devastating from an environmental perspective, the consequences of these actions also impact on the livelihood of local communities whose existence is tied to the environment. When corruption leads to the loss of resources and habitats, and the ecosystems which billions of people around the world rely on are destroyed, both societies and the environment suffer.New collaborative mechanisms like UN-REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries) may create sufficient financial incentives to fund better enforcement of forest laws, if they are designed and implemented with the appropriate corruption risk-mitigation measures.
Corruption is the single greatest obstacle to economic and social development around the world. Every year $1 trillion is paid in bribes, while an estimated $2.6 trillion are stolen annually through corruption – a sum equivalent to more than 5 per cent of the global GDP. In developing countries, according to the United Nations Development Programme, funds lost to corruption are estimated at 10 times the amount of official development assistance . But corruption does not just steal money from where it is needed the most; it leads to weak governance, which in turn can fuel organized criminal networks and promote crimes such as human trafficking, arms and migrant smuggling, counterfeiting and the trade in endangered species.
Preventing and combating corruption requires a comprehensive approach, but only in a climate of transparency, accountability and participation by all members of society is this possible. Governments, the private sector, the media, civil society organizations and the general public need to work together to curb this crime.Governments can stimulate legislative reform that will establish legislative and institutional frameworks against corruption with robust enforcement and punitive measures.Companies should take a zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption and put policies in place covering issues such as gifts, supply chains and whistleblowers, in order to promote a fair and just environment. By using the often unique position that they occupy in society, the media can provide checks and balances on Government and private sector involvement in corrupt practices. The media also offer an essential service in informing the public about the positive progress being made and giving support to those who take a stand in the fight against corruption. Let us use the Convention’s far-reaching measures to help kick-start development, lift countries out of poverty and build fairer, more just societies.
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