"With corruption, we all pay the price", says UNODC Representative on International Anti-Corruption Day

Authorities at the opening of the ceremony

Brasília, 9 December, 2013 - The Office of the Comptroller General (CGU) in Brazil and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) celebrated the International Anti-Corruption Day this morning in Brasília. Various awards and honors were given during the event, which also saw the launch of a new postage stamp by the Post Office to mark the date.

Several authorities participated in the ceremony, including the Representative of the UNODC Liaison and Partnership Office in Brazil, Rafael Franzini; the Minister of CGU, Jorge Hage Sobrinho; the Minister of Education, Aloisio Mercadante; and the Minister of Tourism, Gastão Vieira.

In his speech, Minister Hage spoke about the ten years of existence of CGU, highlighting the partnership with the UNODC Liaison and Partnership Office in Brazil, as well as the importance of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). "Ten years is a good milestone to evaluate the fight against corruption, which we have been conducting in Brazil alongside UNODC and the UN Convention, which is also completing its first ten years of existence", he said.

Franzini emphasized the importance of the date in his speech at the ceremony. "Fighting corruption is a global concern because this is a crime that affects both rich and poor countries. However, it also harms people disproportionately, causing major damage precisely to those who are the most vulnerable. Everyone can be a victim of corruption. We all pay its price", he said.

The partnership between UNODC and CGU exists since 2005, when the IV Global Forum on Fighting Corruption was held in Brasilia. In 2008, UNODC awarded a prize to Portal da Transparência, a CGU initiative which promotes online disclosure of public spending by the federal government. The Portal is today the world's largest website with daily data about the costs of a national government.

UNODC Award

Luiz Navarro thanks the award given by UNODC

This year, CGU's former Executive Secretary Luiz Navarro received the UNODC Award. He worked for ten years at CGU, including in other positions such as Secretary for Corruption Prevention and Inspector General. Navarro is a member of the Senior Advisory Board of the International Anti-Corruption Academy and also actively participated in the drafting of the Bill on Liability of Legal Persons for Acts of Corruption.

Navarro was very moved after receiving the award from Franzini and thanked his former CGU colleagues. "The only way I could accept this award is collectively because I have absolute conviction that the one who wins it is not me, but the Comptroller General," he said.

Besides the UNODC award, CGU also awarded six initiatives of institutions from the Federal Executive Power on its 1st Good Practices Contest. The National Association of Federal Auditors for Internal Control (Anafic) delivered a plaque to the former Minister of CGU, Waldir Pires, in recognition of the work he did at the organization.

The Minister of the General Attorney's Office, Luis Inácio Lucena Adams, the General Prosecutor, Rodrigo Janot Monteiro de Barros, and Congressman Antonio Carlos Mendes Thame also attended the event.

Related information:

www.anticorruptionday.org

Materials from the campaign against corruption

Message of the Secretary-General on International Anti-Corruption Day (in English and Spanish)

Message of the UNODC Executive Director on International Anti-Corruption Day (in English, Portuguese and Spanish)

Factsheets:

Corruption and Development (in Portuguese, English and Spanish)

Corruption and Environment (in Portuguese, English and Spanish)

UN Convention against Corruption (in Portuguese, English and Spanish)

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