New York: Europe and the Arabs
“Corruption not only steals resources, it robs people of hope,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. This came in a video message broadcast during the opening of the tenth session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which began its work yesterday, Monday, in the American city of Atlanta.
In his message, the Secretary-General called on “all parties to seize this opportunity to strengthen international cooperation to prevent, detect and prosecute corruption - in partnership with civil society and the private sector.”
According to the daily news bulletin of the United Nations, a copy of which we received this morning, the Conference of States Parties is held every two years - the largest conference concerned with combating corruption in the world. This year's session coincides with the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, and the conference aims to evaluate global efforts to combat corruption.
In her opening remarks, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Ms. Ghada Waly, said, “The United Nations Convention against Corruption represents a tremendous achievement as a global anti-corruption framework.”
She noted that "the Convention has become a global standard and tool, serving as the basis for transformative legal and institutional reforms in many countries, as well as international cooperation, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime."
Ms. Wali added that the Conference of States Parties represents an opportunity to reflect on the progress achieved so far and the journey that lies ahead.
“While we celebrate what we have achieved, we must also accept that despite laudable efforts, there is still much work to do,” she continued.
Since its adoption, the Convention has achieved almost universal commitment, with the number of states party to it reaching 190, which represents a testimony to the international community’s firm commitment to eliminating corruption and its harmful impact on peace, justice and sustainable development.
Ghada Waly said, “The fight against corruption is everyone’s battle. Let us reach out across borders and sectors, across generations and institutions, to speak with one voice, united against corruption.”

Wide participation
The tenth session of the Conference of States Parties brings together more than two thousand participants from governments, regional and international organizations, as well as anti-corruption experts, representatives of the private sector, civil society and youth.
Participants will review the progress made in implementing the Convention, as well as discuss national and international challenges, and identify gaps in the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
Conference participants will also address a variety of topics - including protecting climate responses from corruption, empowering women and girls in anti-corruption responses, enhancing the role of civil society in identifying implementation gaps, and harnessing the power of young changemakers and integrity leaders of the future.
For the first time, the Private Sector Forum, co-organized by UNODC and the UN Global Compact, will bring together representatives of the private sector, including business leaders, senior officials and legal staff, as well as stakeholders from the public sector, civil society, private sector and academia. and international organizations.

A tool to achieve sustainable development goals
Building on the progress achieved over the past two decades, States Parties also look forward to reaffirming the Convention’s pivotal role as a tool to drive progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
The special session of the United Nations General Assembly against corruption in 2021 stressed the need to integrate anti-corruption efforts within the broader sustainable development agenda.
At the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, held earlier this year, world leaders took another decisive step forward by adopting a political declaration calling for accelerating action towards achieving the global goals, including through the effective implementation of the Convention’s obligations to prevent and combat corruption. .
Thirteen draft resolutions and two draft decisions will be considered throughout the week, addressing issues such as measuring corruption, protecting whistleblowers, transparency of beneficial ownership, and public procurement, among others.