SECOND INTER-AGENCY ANTI-CORRUPTION COORDINATION MEETING CONCLUDES IN VIENNA

SECOND INTER-AGENCY ANTI-CORRUPTION COORDINATION MEETING CONCLUDES IN VIENNA

(Reissued as received.)

VIENNA, 3 July (UN Information Service) -- Steps to improve inter-agency coordination and ways to enhance the visibility of the United Nations and other international organizations in the fight against corruption both internally and externally were discussed at the second Inter-agency Anti-Corruption meeting in Vienna on 1 and 2 July, following the conclusion of the second session of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Negotiation of a Convention against Corruption.

The United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention, including the Centre for International Crime Prevention and United NationsDrug Control  Programme, Council of Europe, European Commission, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and Transparency International reviewed their respective fact sheets on past, present and  future anti-corruption activities to serve as a basis for future coordination.

Participants concluded that the United Nationsand its agencies, in cooperation with other international organizations, must be at the forefront of the battle against fraud and corruption because of the negative impact that corruption has on many aspects of their missions.  They agreed that corruption has to be tackled more vigorously, both externally and internally, as it presents grave financial, operational and reputational risks.  Inter-agency coordination needs to be made a high priority to reduce duplication of efforts and increase impact and visibility in the fight against corruption.  The meeting concluded that concerned organizations should have a clear and strong mandate for their integrity work, both internally and externally.  To serve all of these ends, the inter-agency coordination process must be strengthened.

In order to raise the profile of anti-corruption coordination, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Internal Oversight Office, UNDP and the Drug Control and Crime Prevention Office saw the need to enhance mainstreaming of ethics and integrity within the United Nations. The Inter-agency Coordination Group recommended that the United Nations should continue managing the corruption risk internally, as well as to increase inter-agency coordination and collaboration needed for division of labour and specialization.  The Inter-agency Coordination Group also recommends the elaboration of a United Nationsanti-corruption strategy, anti-corruption action plan and measurable performance indicators, with the Centre for International Crime Prevention acting as the Group's secretariat.

The first Inter-agency Anti-Corruption meeting took place in Vienna on 5 and 6 February during which representatives of attending United Nations agencies and

other international organizations exchanged views on anti-corruption activities and discussed ways and means for enhanced coordination of anti-corruption  activity.  Agreement was reached on the continued collection of data on ongoing anti-corruption project with the use of a revised fact sheet.

Such strengthened cooperation was the result of an initiative taken by United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette, who convened meetings in New York on United Nations coordination of anti-corruption activities on 2 and 26 November 2001.  While it was agreed that the Drug Control and Crime Prevention Office held the United Nations global legislative mandate on anti-corruption, it had become clear that there were a variety of anti-corruption initiatives by different United Nations agencies, which required coordination.

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