UNODC Chief tells G20 event corruption hampers sports’ ability to be force for positive change

Keynote speech at G20 working group meeting by head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) offers wholehearted support to countries, salutes initiatives in sports to stamp out corruption

VIENNA, 13 September (UN Information Service) – The Executive Director of UNODC, Yury Fedotov, welcomed today the growing commitment of governments and sports organizations to tackle corruption in sport.

“Acts of corruption undermine fair play and the good governance of sports organizations, and hamper the ability of sports to act as a force for positive change,” said Mr. Fedotov.

He affirmed the essential efforts of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group, the International Partnership against Corruption in Sport, and G20 countries in mobilizing support and enhancing cooperation against sports’ corruption.

Mr. Fedotov said UNODC was working on a range of initiatives to enable “Member States to deal effectively with corruption wherever we find it”. He said, UNODC would launch a Global Judicial Integrity Network designed to assist judges strengthen judicial integrity and prevent corruption in April 2018.

UNODC was also working with partners, including the UN Development Programme and national statistics offices, to design new corruption indicators that go beyond perception and focus on people’s actual experiences of this crime.

Mr Fedotov was speaking at a meeting of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group, which was formed in 2010. The group’s primary goal is to prepare recommendations for consideration by leaders on how the G20 could continue to make practical and valuable contributions to international efforts to combat corruption.

UNODC is the guardian of the Convention Against Corruption, which is the only universal legal anti-corruption instrument. The Convention currently has 182 States Parties and provides a comprehensive framework to prevent and combat corruption, and help promote accountability, fairness, transparency and sustainable development.