The High Authority takes part in the United Nations Working Group on the prevention of corruption

The High Authority attended the meeting of the Working Group on the prevention of corruption led by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in Vienna from 4 to 6 September. The topic for discussion included lessons learned on the development, evaluation and impact of anti-corruption strategies.

Following a summary from the UNODC Secretariat on its technical assistance work regarding the fight against corruption, Qatar, Serbia, Italy and Sri Lanka presented progress made in the implementation of their national policies related to the prevention of corruption. Several speakers then shared their observations, including the need to draft ethics codes and strengthen integrity of the public sector to ensure efficient strategies. Some participants also underscored the importance to define assessment and monitoring indicators of national policies against corruption.

The High Authority, together with the French Agency against Corruption, spoke during the session on future priorities for the Working Group. It raised the need to focus on open data, essential to implement article 10 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption related to public reporting. France reiterated its commitments in the two latest Open Government Partnership action plans regarding the disclosure of public officials’ declarations of assets and interests under an open data format when required by law.

France’s recommendation was relayed by several countries, including the United States, Slovenia and Russia, who spoke about the importance of open data as a means to inform citizens and promote a culture of transparency. This open data theme could be an interesting area of work for the Working Group in the future.

The meeting was also an opportunity for Marie Lintzer, international partnerships manager, to meet with several delegations, including Germany, and some members of the Network for Integrity. Some contacts could lead to bilateral exchanges during the next few months.