Brasilia, 23 March 2024 – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil launched three publications on competition manipulation and bribery in sport produced by the Global Programme to Safeguard Sport from Corruption and Economic Crime, translated into Portuguese for the first time. The launch took place during the 1st International Anti-Fraud Forum, promoted by Ties Group in Brasilia, Brazil, from 20 to 21 March. The event brought together representatives from the private sector, academia, federal institutions, and the government to discuss effective solutions against the actions of criminals in different sectors with a view to reduce the impact of fraud on the business and consumer sectors.
In addition to the launch of publications, UNODC moderated the panel "Preventing fraud in sport: Brazilian and world football", which included representatives from the Ministry of Sport, Ministry of Finance, the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD), the Federal Revenue Service, Federal Police, and other relevant institutions from the public and private sectors.
UNODC also took part in the panel "Integration between Combating Fraud and Preventing Money Laundering: an instrument for tackling organized crime", which included the participation of a representative from the Centre for Drug Studies and Community Social Development (CDESC), a partnership between UNODC, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Secretariat for Drug Policy (Senad/MJSP), who shared some of the main conclusions and findings of the "Thematic Bulletin on Asset Management and Illicit Financial Flows", produced by CDESC.
For the director of UNODC Brazil, Elena Abbati, "protecting sport from the threat of corruption is crucial to guaranteeing an economic and social development agenda in Brazil and globally, thus contributing to achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the world."
The publications produced by UNODC Global Programme to Safeguard Sport from Corruption and Economic Crime include:
The Practical Guide to Investigating Cases of Competition Manipulation, developed by UNODC in collaboration with Interpol and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Launched in December 2023, the publication covers how to investigate cases of competition manipulation from both a sports disciplinary and criminal justice perspective.
The Practical Guide for the Prosecution of Competition Manipulation Cases, developed by UNODC in partnership with the IOC, proposes an innovative methodology focussed on the work of prosecutors in countries linked to the United Nations system. The document also highlights key aspects in conducting the prosecution of these cases within the justice system, to strengthen the institutional and regulatory tools available to officials and authorities working to prevent and control the manipulation of sports competitions.
Legal Approaches to Combating Bribery in Sport, developed by UNODC in partnership with the IOC, together with experts from the IPACS (International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport) initiative, which provides guidance on legal approaches to combating corruption in the context of sport around the world.
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Global Programme to Safeguard Sport against Corruption and Economic Crime was created in 2017 as part of the UNODC Global Programme against Corruption. It seeks to support governments, sports organisations, and relevant stakeholders to combat corruption and economic crime in sport. The Programme works to achieve this through the implementation of activities that strengthen legal, policy, and institutional frameworks to combat corruption and crime in sport, increase cooperation between governments and sports organisations at national and international level, and improve understanding and capacity to combat corruption and crime in sport through research and analysis.
Since 2018, the Programme has supported more than 8,500 authorities and representatives of governments, sports organisations and stakeholders from more than 130 countries on the integrity in sport agenda. It has also established strong partnerships with key players such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Football Federation (FIFA), the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Football Associations (CONCACAF), the International Tennis Integrity Agency, the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), among others.
