New York, United States of America

(New York, 10 December 2010) – Today the UN Global Compact Working Group on the 10th Principle against Corruption concluded its 7th meeting at United Nations Headquarters. Bringing together over 100 representatives of business, investors, civil society, business associations and international organisations, the working group meeting opened with a high-level Panel Discussion marking International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December.

Jointly organized by the UN Global Compact, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the UN Development Programme, and the UN Ethics Office, the panel discussion addressed the role of the private sector in the fight against corruption. Calling on business to accelerate their efforts to implement the Global Compact’s tenth principle, keynote speakers and panellists highlighted the importance of ethical business for both economic and social development. 

“Governments must be part of the solution. Corruption erodes public trust in officials. Ending corruption is essential to promoting good governance, democracy and stability,” said Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. “It is very encouraging to see so many companies present here today. Your cooperation and collective desire to stem corruption set an important example for others.”

During the panel discussion, the Global Compact and UNODC jointly launched a new web-based E-Learning Tool on anti-corruption: http://thefightagainstcorruption.unglobalcompact.org/. The tool has been designed to further business’ understanding of how the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the Global Compact’s 10th Principle can inform corporate integrity policies and actions.

The Working Group meeting reviewed the progress made on the Global Compact's work on the tenth principle and explored a range of ways to further accelerate Global Compact participants' anti-corruption efforts. As for next steps, participants agreed to:

• assist the Global Compact’s dissemination of anti-corruption disclosure as well as provide guidance to the Global Compact on ways to motivate more businesses to report on their anti-corruption implementation efforts by using the Reporting Guidance on the 10th Principle Against Corruption;
• work together with the Principles for Responsible Investment and its Anti-Corruption Working Group to establish a joint platform for investor-company dialogue to seek better understanding between investors and company representatives on corporate anti-corruption actions;
• develop guidance for Global Compact Local Networks on how to engage in successful public-private dialogue on anti-corruption with their stakeholders at the country-level;
• provide guidance on how to engage the private sector in the upcoming UN Convention Against Corruption meeting, to be held in Morocco in 2011, and to maintain involvement in deliberations on the UNCAC review mechanism;
• work closely with Principles for Responsible Management Education’s Anti-Corruption Working Group in its effort to develop a curriculum for management education on anti-corruption; and to
• provide guidance to the UN Global Compact on its collective action projects in Brazil, Egypt, India, Nigeria and South Africa.

The meeting concluded with working group participants’ renewed commitment to the Global Compact 10th Principle. The 8th Meeting of the Anti-Corruption Working Group will take place in Cairo during the Annual Local Network Forum in May 2011.

• Access The Fight Against Corruption: E-Learning Tool
• Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting Agenda
• Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting Participant List
• Read the UN Secretary-General’s Message on International Anti-Corruption Day

Contact

Matthias Stausberg
Head of Media Relations & Public Affairs
UN Global Compact
stausberg@un.org
+1-917-367-3423
+1-917-214-1337 (cell)