International Anti-Corruption Day - 2022

             A little more than one month ago, precisely on 9th December, the whole world celebrated the importance to fight corruption. The public money must be very well used, so that we can have better schools, better hospitals, better security, better streets and roads, better jobs, greater development, less inequality, less injustice. So a better functional government and consequently a better country for all. 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 at some powerful persons, the people should not be naive, there are many people that are not interested in this activism, in this fight. It is very important help the anti-corruption activists.  This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/anticorruptionday/index.html. The second was published at  https://www.un.org/en/observances/anti-corruption-day. The third was published at  https://www.transparency.org/en/news/international-anti-corruption-day-2022-stop-kleptocrats-protect-common-good

               The 2022 International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) seeks to hightlight the crucial link between anti-corruption and peace, security, and development. At its core is the notion that tackling this crime is the right and responsibility of everyone, and that only through cooperation and the involvement of each and every person and institution can we overcome the impact of this crime. States, government officials, civil servants, law enforcement officers, media representatives, the private sector, civil society, academia, and  the public alike all have a role to play in this. The 2022 IACD also marks the start of our efforts to mark the twentieth anniversary of UNCAC. This is reflected by the theme of this year's, "UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption". Over 2023 together with partners worldwide, we will be reflecting on a world made better thanks to the Convention and, crucially, what gaps remain to ensure this is a truly strong mechanism for the years ahead.                                                                                                                                                                                  The world today faces some of its greatest challenges in many generations, challenges which threaten prosperity and stability for people across the globe. The plague of corruption is intertwined in most of them. Corruption has negative impacts on every aspect of society and is profoundly intertwined with conflict and instability jeopardizing social and economic development and undermining democratic institutions and the rule of law. Corruption fuels conflict and inhibits peace by undermining the rule of law, worsening poverty, facilitating the illicit use of resources, and providing financing for armed conflict. Preventing corruption, promoting transparency and strengthening institutions is crucial if the targets foreseen in the Sustainable Development Goals are to be met. The 2022 IACD seeks to highlight the crucial link between anti-corruption and peace, security, and development. Corruption is a complex political and economic phenomenon that affects all countries. Corruption attacks the foundation of democratic institutions by distorting electoral processes, and creating bureaucratic quagmires whose only reason for existing is the soliciting of bribes. On 31 October 2003, the General Assembly adopted the U.N. Convention against Corruption, since then states have committed to the Convention's anti-corruption obligations, showing near-universal recognition of the importance of good governance, accountability, and political commitment.                                                                                                                                                                  It's International Anti-Corruption Day, an occasion for our societies to recommit to the cause. In a year like this, when the world has seen vivid depictions of the most extreme ways that unchecked corruption can upend lives and livelihoods, we need everyone, from governments ro civil society to businesses, to join the fight. At this opportune moment, the ever-growing global community of anti-corruption champions, frontline fighters, partners and allies came together this week to exchange evidence, ideas and strategies. By all accounts, 2022 has been a turbulent year. It has also been a year when the international community finally recognised the dangers of cross-border corruption and paid attention to our calls even coming around to some key solutions to counter it. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February triggered a global awakening on the urgent need to counter kleptocratic advace. While long overdue, leading democracies have now committed to denying safe haven to kleptocratic assets and launched new channels for international cooperation. Some also accelerated key reforms, but much more is needed to end western complicity in transnational corruption. The momentum needs to cacht on beyond the west as well. This year, the G20, which brings together some of the largest economies, has failed to advance the anti-corruption agenda in any meaningful way, giving kleptocrats a free pass. Corruption is a lived reality for people in far too many places, and the concern that kleptocracy threatens everything from sustainable development to global security is shared across the world. Transparency International calls on leaders to stop kleptocrats and protect the common good in three main ways:  1) Proactive Transparency - Thanks to sustained civil society efforts, now there is a global consensus that criminals and the corrupt should not be allowed to abuse corporate secrecy to mask their ownership of ill-gotten wealth. In March, our efforts helped establish a new global standard on company ownership transparency, which now requires that every country set up a centralised beneficial ownership register. This is a game-changer.  However, the beneficial ownership transparency agenda suffered a serious blow in November, when the E.U.'s highest court invalidated the anti-money laundering provision guaranteeing public access to such registers.  2) Accountability for Kleptocrats - To effectively deter kleptocrats, whether from Russia or anywhere else, governments need to deny safe haven to them and their money. In June, we were pleased to see that the G7 leaders's communique recognised the need to increase accountability for kleptocracy, and that they are open to exploring additional measures for improving their frameworks and scaling up the effort.  3) Defending the Defenders - Independent civil society and free media are the world's best defence against kleptocracy. And yet, anti-corruption civic space continues to take serious hits around the world. In Russia, the executive director of our chapter was designated as a "foreign agent". From Georgia to Guatemala to Madagascar, unscrupulous actors have retaliated against those who have bravely exposed and confronted corruption. In December 2021, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders issued a report that documents cases of threats, violence, harassment and persecution against anti-corruption activists. Many perpetrators have acted with impunity, according to the study. Yet the report also highlights how, against all odds, frontline anti-corruption fighters have been driving anti-corruption change. Given their contribution to advancing human rights, the U.N. Special Rapporteur has also made the case for the protection frameworks applicable to human rights defenders also applying to anti-corruption activists. In a powerful show of solidarity, over 80 organisations and individuals have today called on governments to end reprisals against anti-corruption activists and extend them protections as human rights defenders.