A little more than one month ago, precisely on 9th December 2020, the world celebrated the fight against corruption. The fight against corruption is very important, so we all should be involved in this fight, because the theft of public resources harm us all. But we all should know that this fight is not easy, because activists for this important ethical cause can become a target to some powerful persons, the people should not be naive, there are many people that are not interested in this activism, in this fight. This post is a summary of two articles. The first was published at https://www.transparency.org/en/news/international-anti-corruption-day-2020-things-can-really-get-better-next-year-ungass-2021. The second was published at https://www.transparency.org/en/ungass-2021-commit-to-transparency-in-company-ownership-for-the-common-good
9 December is International Anti-Corruption Day. It is a day for governments, businesses and the whole of society to renew our commitment to working together to end the devastating impact of corruption on people's lives around the world. At the end of a year like 2020, this could not be more important. Independent of Covid-19, investigative journalists' exposes have again this year laid bare the weaknesses in the global financial system that allow public wealth stolen from poor countries to be laundered and spent in rich ones. The crisis has demonstrated that protecting public resources and putting an end to illicit financial flows is a matter of life and death, in the most literal sense. With multiple COVID-19 vaccines showing positive results under rigorous scientific testing, and some countries beginning to distribute, many are thinking ahead to how we "Recover With Integrity" - the theme of this year's International Anti-corruption Day. In its first virtual edition, the 19th International Anti-corruption Conference, welcomed a record number of participants, showing there is a resolute determination among all parts of our societies to achieve a strong recovery which, in the words of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, "must include measures to prevent and combat corruption and bribery." Wherever we look around the world, the criminal and corrupt never cease to undermine the common good. As the deadly proliferation of corruption during the COVID-19 pandemic clearly shows. One key opportunity to tackle corruption challenges head-on is the first U.N. General Assembly Special Session Against Corruption, also known as UNGASS 2021. In far too many parts of the world, high-level public officials are robbing populations. The uncomfortable truth is that advanced economies are enabling or even fueling this kind of corruption. We can not afford UNGASS 2021 to be another event where government leaders take turns to condemn corruption with grandiose metaphors but fail to recognise what must change. That is why we need all parts of societies to come together and call on the international community to use this meeting as a key milestone in fighting corruption. On this international Anti-corruption Day, we are highlighting three key reforms that need to be agreed in the coming months, so that 2021 can be the year when we finally break through the barriers against progress in the global corruption. 1) Transparency in Company Ownership - ever since the Panama Papers in 2016, it has been clear that large-scale theft of public resources is possible because the corrupt can hide behind opaque corporate structures. Abuse of shell companies is among the reasons why many countries are facing greater challenges to day in dealing with COVID-19. For decades, companies with anonymous owners have enabled corruption and other crimes. This has meant that public resources that could have served to improve healthcare systems, were embezzled from public coffers. UNGASS 2021 offers an opportunity to turn the tide. That is exactly what a diverse group has said in an appeal in a letter, asks government leaders to endorse central, public registers of ownership as a global standard. At UNGASS 2021, we must commit to transparency in company ownership for the common good. 2) Justice Instead of Impunity - After the veil of secrecy is stripped, and we know who's robbing our communities, will there be justice? Unfortunately, national justice systems are often unable or unwilling to hold the powerful to account. At the same time, corrupt high-level officials have the upper hand and can act with impunity under the current international framework. The former dictator of the Gambia, Yahya Jammeh is a textbook case. After being ousted from power in 2017, he has lived in comfortable exile in Equatorial Guinea. How can he and others be brought to account? There are no simple solutions, but there are multiple proposals on the table. We urge UNGASS 2021 to mandate the creation of a task force to study available solutions and suggest the way forward. This group should be asked to propose a legal definition of grand corruption, referred to as "corruption involving vast quantities of assets" in U.N. documents, as well as new agreements and mechanisms to endure accountability. But during U.N. gatherings, impunity for grand corruption is often the elephant in the room. We need the governments to step up during UNGASS 2021 once and for all. Reluctance to focus on the most serious forms of corruption has nothing to do with political ideology. It is about protecting the self-interests of those in powerful positions. 3) Recovery of Stolen Assets - Justice is not only about prosecuting corrupt officials, but also about compensating the communities and individuals that have been robbed, a legal process called asset recovery. Stolen money is often hidden in richer countries, in real estate, company shares or bank accounts. Consider Isabel dos Santos, whose assets were seized earlier this year in Portugal at the request of Angolan authorities. But there are barriers to returning assets to their rightful owners, even when they are located and confiscated. Countries signed on to the U.N. Coalition Anti-Corruption should recognise the links between asset recovery and the realisation of human rights as enshrined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In 2020, it is abundantly clear that corruption does not recognise national borders. Those in political power abuse gaps in the international anti-corruption framework to steal. On this International Anti-Corruption Day, we are calling on government leaders to do their part in tackling the global crisis of corruption, so that our communities can recover not just from 2020, but from decades of impunity for grand corruption. The U.N. General Assembly's decision to hold a Special Session against corruption in 2021 created a historic opportunity for the international community to address the global crisis of corruption. The undersigned groups and individuals are united in the conviction that it is of the utmost urgency to put an end to the abuse of anonymous companies that facilitates corruption. Companies that exist only in paper are tools for the diversion of resources needed to advanced development. Beneficial ownership information on the persons who ultimately own, control or benefit from a legal vehicle, enables cross-border enforcement and the tracing of ill-gotten assets for confiscation and return. In public contracting processes, it helps in the detection of conflicts of interest and corruption. We have come together to address government leaders currently preparing for UNGASS 2021 with one clear message, transparency in company ownership is more than a technical solution to a problem. It is a matter of social justice. Corruption devastates the lives of billions of people around the world. We need decisive reforms to ensure that the resources needed to pay for critical public services such as schools and hospitals are not simply misappropriated and hidden. The time for action is now.
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