23 January 2020 - Civil society organisations (CSOs) around the world marked the International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) 2019. This year's campaign, United Against Corruption, reinforces the that everyone, the whole society, businesses and individuals alike, would benefit from uniting against corruption.
The joint UNODC-United Nations Development Programme campaign focuses on the corrosive effects of corruption on development, highlighting that this crime undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to human rights violations, distorts markets, erodes quality of life and allows organized crime and other threats to security to flourish. Here are some the highlights of CSOs marking the day from around the world :
Mr. Luate Satimon from Advance South Sudan participated in a live talk show at Advance Youth Radio 99.9FM, picture insert, alongside representatives from the South Sudanese Anti-corruption Commission, Mr. Alakaya Alikana Liwa, Acting Director General for Corruption Prevention and Education, and Mr. Jeremiah Kucjok Ater, Acting Director General for State Coordination and Donor Relations. The panelists discussed how it is important to have functioning and responsive institutions, such that when a comprehensive legal anti-corruption framework is adopted, the effects of fighting corruption will be realised in practice.
La Réseau des organisations libres pour la bonne gouvernance au Gabon (ROLBG) and On ne M'Achete sought to strengthen the various alliances that could help reduce the scourge of corruption in Gabon. At the end of the roundtable, carried out with the assistance of national television channel, agreed on a joint declaration which fixes the position of civil society vis-à-vis the challenges related to the fight against corruption in Gabon. The declaration is available to read here.
La Maison des organisations de la société civile (MOSC) from Comoros marked the occasion by bringing together the various CSOs under its name to call for the establishment of an anti-corruption commission. MOSC believes the dissolution of la Commission nationale de prévention et de lutte contre la corruption (CNLPC) has caused the country to retreat in the world ranking of the corruption perception index from the 136th to 144th in 2018. The president of MOSC, Mr. Ahmed Malide, said, "Corruption weakens democratic institutions, discourages investors, promotes inequality and even poses a threat to public safety because it causes discontent and distrust of leaders public institutions ".
The Armenian Lawyers' Association (ALA) and Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia invited the graduates of the Anti-Corruption School for Young Leaders to present their research into anti-corruption in front of a broad audience. During the event, Mr. Arkadi Sahakyan, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Coalition, pointed out that the fight against corruption is being supplemented with new tools, such as the BizProect.am website that raises and reports on corruption cases and issues in the business sector in Armenia.
Anti-Corruption Campaign website : http://www.anticorruptionday.org/
Message from UNODC Executive Director on International Anti-Corruption Day
Message of the Secretary-General on International Anti-Corruption Day
