"The best way to solve a problem is to declare that you have a problem" / MunPlanet

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By Kathie van Bronckhorst

The words of the Greek delegation were repeated by fellow countries in the opening speeches of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) session on corruption this morning. The negotiations were attended by with the aim of advocating a solution to what the delegate of Finland described as "one of the largest enemies of the state".

In such a globalized world, the roles that private and multinational corporations play in the corruption of politicians were emphasized. The delegation of Iran referred to it as the main root of political corruption within his country. With that said, there was a call for an international effort to investigate the weak spots within the integrity of the international system. However, the issue of sovereignty was reinforced.

Highlighted was the importance to shine light on and investigate promising practices that are already established within countries. The delegation of Japan, who alongside Germany are the only two countries who have not signed the U.N Convention against Corruption boasted on the lack of corruption within its county. The country invited others to take inspiration from its policies and legislations. Germany took the stance of defending its commitment to the fight against corruption. However, unlike Japan it reassured the committee of its plans to sign the convention by July this year.

The delegation of Germany also called for more active work to combat the significant lack of awareness. The word awareness was described as "beautiful" by Transparency International, but deemed pointless without the participation of civil society. They criticized the implementation review mechanism of the UNCAC for its current non-mandatory nature and the lack of published public results. They emphasized the need for reform and are eager for the possibility of the E.U framework on corruption as a possible model for the United Nations.

This possibility of extending the E.U Corruption framework into the U.N. was put forward by the European Union observers themselves and at publishing time the UNODC was in current discussions and drafting working papers on the issue. With two separate drafting groups and two separate working papers it will be interesting to see whether countries will be able to unite and create a comprehensive but realistic solution on such a daunting problem.