UN Conference against Corruption: G77, China Underline Importance of Respecting States’ Sovereignty & Territorial Integrity, Moroccan Diplomat Says
Doha - The Group of 77 and China underlined the importance of upholding the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States as well as non-intervention in their domestic affairs, in line with Article 4 of the UN Convention Against Corruption, said, on Monday in Doha, Ambassador Azzeddine Farhane, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN and international organizations in Vienna.
“The Group remains strongly convinced of upholding multilateralism, stressing that corruption remains to be one of the major challenges to the security, stability, rule of law, and sustainable socioeconomic development of our societies,” the Moroccan diplomat said, speaking on behalf of the Group during the 11th Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.
He underlined the need to develop and promote effective measures to prevent corruption by fully implementing the Convention, calling on all States Parties to avoid unilateral actions and sanctions that weaken international cooperation and impede the efforts to prevent and fight corruption.
The Group, which counts more than 140 UN member states, also highlighted the need to develop and promote effective measures, policies and practices to prevent corruption, adding that “the Group deeply regrets that barriers and challenges to asset recovery continue.”
In this context, he emphasized that recovered assets should be returned without conditionalities and in full respect of the sovereign rights of the states of origin.
States Parties were encouraged to strengthen international cooperation to facilitate the return of persons sought for corruption in accordance with domestic law and applicable international law and, where appropriate, deny them safe havens.
Farhane also emphasized the importance of the effective functioning of the Implementation Review Mechanism (IRM), stating his desire that the second phase of the IRM marks a critical milestone towards the implementation of the Convention, while maintaining its guiding principles and characteristics, mainly its intergovernmental nature.
In this respect, he noted that the IRM, including its second phase, requires sustainable and predictable funding to ensure its efficient, continued and impartial functioning, reaffirming the Group’s stance that the Mechanism should be funded by the UN regular budget in accordance with the Terms of Reference.
After highlighting the role of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in providing relevant technical assistance activities at national, regional, and global levels, the Group called for sufficient, predictable, and sustainable funding to develop programs and projects for the purpose of capacity-building, technical assistance, material support and transfer of technology to developing countries.
The Group also noted with concern that corruption is often linked to other forms of crime, and that transnational organized criminal networks can use corrupt practices to facilitate their criminal activities, calling for intensifying efforts to prevent and counter illicit financial flows, in accordance with the UN Convention Against Corruption.
In this context, the Moroccan diplomat reaffirmed the commitment of G77 and China to foster international cooperation in order to contribute to effective resource mobilization, poverty eradication, sustainable development and the enjoyment of all human rights, recalling that the implementation of the Convention contributes directly to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Editorial team/le7tv
