BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – YESTERDAY (Dec. 9) the international community celebrated Anti-Corruption Day and in his message, UN General-Secretary Ban Ki-Moon intimated that those who practice corruption should be shamed.
“On this International Anti-Corruption Day, let us pledge to do our part by cracking down on corruption, shaming those who practice it and engendering a culture that values ethical behaviour,” he said.
The General-Secretary stressed that corruption afflicts all countries, undermines social progress and breeds inequality as well as injustice.
He posited: “When desperately needed development funds are stolen by corrupt individuals and institutions, poor and vulnerable people are robbed of the education, health care and other essential services.”
Citing incidents in the Arab world that raised his organisation’s antenna, Ban Ki-Moon said although the poor might be marginalised by corruption, they would not be silenced.
“In events across the Arab world and beyond this year, ordinary people have joined their voices in denouncing corruption and demanding that governments combat this crime against democracy. Their protests have triggered changes on the international scene that could barely have been imagined just months previously,” he added.
He implied that everyone has a responsibility to take action against the cancer of corruption, and as part of the UN’s broader system-wide campaign to help bolster democracy and good governance, his organisation is helping countries to combat the scourge of corruption.
“The United Nations Convention Against Corruption is a powerful tool in the fight. I urge all governments that have not yet ratified it to do so without delay. I also call on governments to include anti-corruption measures in all national programmes that support sustainable development,” Ban Ki-Moon said.
He noted that the private sector also stands to gain enormously from effective action, explaining that corruption distorts markets, increases costs for companies and ultimately punishes consumers.
He also noted that within the private sector, companies could create a more transparent global economy through anti-corruption initiatives, including the work of the United Nations Global Compact.
The UN General-Secretary ended his message saying, “On this International Anti-Corruption Day, let us pledge to do our part by cracking down on corruption, shaming those who practice it and engendering a culture that values ethical behaviour.”
The International Anti-Corruption Day was inaugurated with the 2003 adoption of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which entered into force in 2005.
According to Transparency International’s 2011 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), which has been accepted as the world’s most credible measure of domestic, public sector corruption, North Korea and Somalia are considered the world’s most corrupt countries.
One hundred and eighty-two countries were analysed by Transparency International for this year on a scale of zero to 10, with zero indicating high levels of corruption and 10, low levels.
Among the countries within the Caribbean region that are listed on the CPI are Barbados, which is ranked 16 with 7.8; Bahamas 21 with 7.3; St. Lucia 25 with 7.0; St. Vincent and the Grenadines 36 with 5.8; Dominica 44 with 5.2; Jamaica 86 with 3.3; Trinidad and Tobago 91 with 3.2; Suriname 100 with 3.0; and Guyana 134 with 2.5.
