EDITORIAL - United against corruption

It’s the season of giving, when crooks expect more than the usual “gifts” to grease the wheels of government. By law the solicitation or acceptance of such “gifts” by public servants is expressly prohibited. Yet graft persists, with red tape designed to encourage the payment of grease money.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that a staggering $2.6 trillion, or about five percent of the global GDP, is stolen worldwide through corruption every year, with $1 trillion paid in bribes. Experts have stressed that money lost to corruption could otherwise be used for poverty alleviation and the achievement of sustainable development goals or SDGs.

In developing countries, the UN Development Program places the funds lost to corruption at 10 times more than official development assistance. This includes the Philippines, where people are familiar with the consequences of corruption. Basic services break down. Investors are turned off by unfair competition and red tape, taking their money – and potential jobs – elsewhere. People get ahead in life through connections rather than merit. Inclusive growth becomes impossible. A corrupted justice system fuels insurgencies and promotes public support for short cuts to law enforcement, at the risk of civil liberties.

In fighting corruption, the nation can get assistance from the international community. Twelve years ago this week, the UN Convention Against Corruption went into force as the international community recognized the serious impact of corruption on development efforts and poverty alleviation. The Philippines signed the convention in December 2003, just two months after it was adopted by the UN General Assembly, and ratified it in November 2006.

The parties to the convention have grown to 183, with 140 signatories as International Anti-Corruption Day was observed on Dec. 9. The convention is legally binding and allows the global community to cooperate in going after those accused of corruption, embezzlement and money laundering as well as in the recovery of ill-gotten wealth. It is a powerful tool that can be tapped by any government with a serious campaign to go after crooked public officials and their cohorts in the private sector.

This year the UNODC and UNDP have launched a global campaign that focuses on the impact of corruption on education, health, justice, democracy, prosperity and development as well as the achievement of the SDGs. The campaign stresses that uniting against the scourge of corruption can promote development, peace and security.