Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui addresses the UN anti-corruption conference in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, Dec. 16, 2019. The UN anti-corruption conference started on Monday in Abu Dhabi, calling for intensified efforts to prevent and combat corruption to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Bringing together more than 1,300 participants from around the world, the week-long conference is expected to consider some 15 draft resolutions and discuss topics including asset recovery, international cooperation, and the preparations for the special session of the UN General Assembly against corruption scheduled for 2021, according to the organizers. (Xinhua/Su Xiaopo)
ABU DHABI, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN anti-corruption conference started on Monday in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, calling for intensified efforts to prevent and combat corruption to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
"As we enter the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals, we must unite against corruption to stop the drain on resources caused by illicit financial flows," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his message to the eighth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption.
Yury Fedotov, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, warned against the role of corruption in facilitating crime and other threats, calling corruption "the sinister enabler of some of the worst problems we face".
"By preventing and curbing corruption, we can nip corruption's contribution to instability in the bud ... By stopping the abuse of public trust for private gain, we can restore a much-needed trust and invest in our future," he said.
The UN Convention against Corruption, with 186 parties, is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. Every two years, the states parties to the Convention meet to review the implementation of the Convention and to discuss how the world can better tackle corruption.
Bringing together more than 1,300 participants around the world, the week-long conference is expected to consider some 15 draft resolutions and discuss topics including asset recovery, international cooperation, and the preparations for the special session of the UN General Assembly against corruption scheduled for 2021, according to the organizers.
