FORUM: General Assembly, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) QUESTION OF: Political and Industrial Corruption in Developing Countries MAIN SUBMITTER: The French Republic CO SUBMITTERS: Somalia, Turkey, Syria, Mexico, Argentina, Israel, Pakistan SIGNATORIES: Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Japan, Somalia, Turkey, Syria, Mexico, Argentina, Israel, Pakistan, France, U.S.A, South Korea, Argentina,
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Defining corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, Recognising the need for comprehensive, mandatory legislation, Emphasizing the responsibility and vested interests of nations to work against corruption or face hindered sustainable development, corroded social structure and crony capitalist enterprise, Bearing in mind the ethical, legal, financial and reputational risks that corruption brings, Noting the remarkable synergy resulting from close cooperation among authorities, Realizing the importance of sustainable development as a new solution to corruption, Welcoming an attitude of tenacity and pragmatism; 1. Strongly supports the establishment of sound preventive measures to reduce structural risks of future, long term corruption such as: a. Establishing a national anticorruption body that works with the United Nations (UN) to fight public and private sector corruption, b. Implementing a National Integrity System aimed to gather public opinion in anticorruption efforts and cite current cases of corruption in specific regions of a country, c. Enhancing transparency in government operations by submitting an annual financial report to the UN covering: i. Government financing, ii. Government expenditure, iii. Election financing, iv. Political lobbying and consultation, v. Reported cases of corruption, vi. All information pertaining to standards of living, except when received by third parties under confidentiality, likely to compromise security or privacy and it’s disclosure may have detrimental financial effects; vii. GDP and GNP reports, viii. Widespread implementation of a specialized, nonstate owned ombudsperson
office to deal with complaints of administrative corruption, d. Subjecting public services to meritocracy and efficiency through: i. Targets, ii. Audits and other internal checks (e.g. officer rotation), iii. Legally Binding codes of conduct, iv. Reviewed and appropriately adjusted annual pay for civil servants, v. Mechanisms to ensure the job satisfaction of civil servants (e.g. promotions, flexible schedules, empowerment), e. Raising public and business awareness through: i. Educational programs in public schools, ii. National information agencies, iii. National Integrity workshops, iv. Dissemination of TI Source Book and experiences of countries in combating corruption, v. Awareness campaigns, vi. Investigative journalism and information by the media; 2. Recommends the strengthening of independent and impartial criminalization and law enforcement practices to facilitate the elimination of current cases of corruption by: a. Criminalizing specific offenses with objective criteria such as: i. Active and passive bribery, ii. Money laundering, iii. Embezzlement, iv. Trading in influence, v. Abuse of function, vi. Concealment of illicit assets, b. Establishing minimum punishment standards such as: i. Public apologies, ii. Community service iii. Rehabilitation courses, c. Simplifying rules regarding the evidence of corruption such as: i. Bank secrecy obstacles, ii. Witness, victim, judge, lawyer, expert and whistleblower protection, d. Providing government lawyers, e. Maintaining sufficient income to judges and prosecutors to reduce vulnerability to corruption, f. Guaranteeing that judges are nominated fairly and transparently, g. Fostering citizen participation through accessible and accountable complaints, h. Granting funding and investigative authority to national anticorruption bodies; 3. Encourages international cooperation with the UN as a base and third party arbiter for collaborating on the common goal of fighting corruption by, inter alia: a. Cooperating in prevention, investigation and prosecution, b. Providing mutual legal and law enforcement assistance, c. Supporting the transfer of sentences, people and proceeding on an individual basis,
d. Allowing tracing, freezing, forfeiting and returning of assets obtained through corruption, e. Developing a peer review mechanism and recommendations for each nation, f. Providing technical assistance such as: i. Holding records, ii. Self assessment checklists, iii. Consultations, iv. Knowledge, information and expertise sharing, v. Material and human resources, vi. Bottomup aid, g. Using the UN and it’s members as designated bodies as an international task force to assist with effective implementation of sound policies by: i. Developing, training and coaching local stakeholders in order broaden circles of participation and ratify economically sound, locally developed and adapted solutions to fighting corruption; 4. Calls on developed countries to assist with funding for developing nations seeking to improve national infrastructure, mechanisms, employment and general conditions in order eradicate poverty and therefore eradicate the susceptibility to corruption; 5. Strongly urges all nations to sign, ratify and implement measures outlined in the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC); 6. Encourages developing nations to reform market regulations to eliminate misused policies and expand markets for development through actions such as: a. Lowering unjust tariffs and other barriers to international trade, b. Eliminating misused enterprise subsidies, c. Minimizing requirements, permits and other entry barriers for new enterprises and investors, d. Privatizing state assets and demonopolizing existing public sector activities, e. Enforcing prudent and transparent banking regulations and audits.