Calls on government, business and civil society to unite in the battle against corruption
On the eve of international anti-corruption day, leading experts brought together by the World Economic Forum developed proposals to tackle corruption.
In their report—Next steps for business government and civil society to fight corruption—they recommended the following:
Businesses should empower ethics officers to prevent bribery through anti-corruption programmes, such as the Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI)
Government should create a level playing field by ratifying and fully implementing the United Nations Convention Against Corruption into national law
Civil society should strengthen its “watchdog” role to promote ethical practices with business and government
The estimated cost of corruption worldwide is more than 5% of global GDP (US$ 2.6 trillion) with over US$ 1 trillion lost in bribes each year.
According to Mark Pieth, Co-Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Corruption, and Chair of the OECD’s Working Group on Bribery: “Corruption obstructs the effective distribution and intended use of funding to address any pressing global issue today – whether it be climate change or HIV/AIDS. Unless we gain significant ground in the fight against corruption, progress in addressing any other global issue will continue to be seriously hampered.”
