Doha: HE President of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, emphasized the collective duty of the international community and all parties to prevent and eradicate corruption and combat crime, which affects victims globally.
According to Qatar News Agency, in a recorded video address at the opening session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), currently taking place in Doha, Her Excellency stated that corruption is not a victimless or abstract crime, but one with real and tangible consequences for people. She highlighted that circumventing building regulations through corrupt practices can lead to unsafe structures that may collapse, resulting in loss of life. Unchecked bribery within companies diverts wealth to a privileged few, causing uneven and unstable economic growth and eroding public trust. Furthermore, corruption within the legal system leads to mismanaged cases, delayed or denied justice, and silenced victims.
Her Excellency affirmed that preventing and eradicating corruption is a shared duty, and all are accountable to the people whom relevant organizations and institutions are meant to serve. She also noted international efforts to combat corruption, highlighting that States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption have committed to strengthening anti-corruption measures. World leaders agreed to enhance international cooperation at the 2021 Special Session of the General Assembly against corruption. She added that the Pact for the Future underscored the necessity of combating corruption to reduce inequalities and close development gaps, while the Declaration on Future Generations reaffirmed that systems and institutions must reflect our highest values, not narrow interests.
Her Excellency called for updating and adapting existing approaches, especially as modern techniques of financial corruption have enabled seamless cross-border operations and allowed criminal networks to evade accountability. In this context, she stressed the need for regulatory frameworks and technological safeguards to be flexible and capable of combating and dismantling such crimes.
She noted that the 11th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption represents an opportunity to build on shared commitments to prevent corruption, strengthen public trust, and reinforce institutions and governance. The conference theme, "Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity," serves as a call to action to turn promises into concrete steps, enhance oversight, protect whistleblowers, and harness technology to promote transparency rather than exploitation.