Pressure on government increasing

6 November 2009, by Georg Neumann.

Two days until the conference starts and participants arriving, the pressure on governments to agree on an effective, transparent and inclusive review mechanism of the UN Convention against Corruption is increasing.

Signatures to the statement of the UNCAC Coalition keep flowing in from all over the world and are now at way over 300. Updates that we are receiving from our colleagues working on fighting corruption in all regions show that civil society is watching what their governments will be deciding.

As Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International writes in her Opinion-Editorial “Who should monitor corruption?” in the International Herald Tribune:

“Transparency, not secrecy, will lead to fair treatment. People who are forced to pay bribes to secure everyday items, such as driving licenses or even jobs, should have recourse to legal protection – as should companies asked for bribes to win contracts.

“Stalling the adoption of a review mechanism will send the wrong message to citizens, particularly at a time when trust in governments following the world financial crisis is at an all time low.”

We will be keep you up to date!