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28 January 2008
Experts Discuss U.S. Efforts To Fight Corruption Globally
Ask America webchat transcript, January 28
Elizabeth Verville, head of the U.S. delegation to the Second Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, John Brandolino, alternate head of the delegation, and Rob Leventhal, delegate, answered questions on how the United States can maintain a leadership role in fighting corruption in a January 28 webchat.
Following is the transcript:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of International Information Programs
Ask America Webchat Transcript
Fighting Corruption: Moving Forward on the Global Framework
Guest: Elizabeth Verville, John Brandolino, Robert Leventhal
Date: January 28, 2008
Time: 5:45 a.m. EST (1045 GMT – 1845 Bali)
Moderator: Welcome to our webchat. Today is January 28, 2008. The webchat will begin at 05:45 EST / 10:45 GMT / 18:45 Bali.
We see your questions coming in now.
UNCAC Conference Participants: Greetings from the Second Conference of States Parties (COSP) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). I am Elizabeth Verville, head of the U.S. Delegation to the COSP. Unfortunately, I had to leave 15 minutes before our scheduled webchat for an event for Heads of Delegations sponsored by the Government of Indonesia. So I am very sorry I will not be able to be with you. However, John Brandolino, the Alternate Head of our Delegation and Rob Leventhal, also of our Delegation, will be with you to answer your questions. I wish you a fruitful conversation and exchange and leave you with a short introduction to frame your discussion.
Already, in the two years the Convention has been in force, it has become the world standard for anti-corruption efforts. At the first COSP we identified three main areas for initial focus by the States Parties: (1) review of implementation, (2) asset recovery and (3) technical assistance. We also, of course, are focused on corrupt conduct required by the Convention to be criminalized as well as taking advantage of the mutual legal assistance and extradition provisions. We are determined to build on the steps taken at the first COSP in December 2006 in all of these areas. Our able UN Secretariat has reached out to the World Bank and other international institutions to leverage their efforts to complement our own. It is an exciting moment with a lot of potential! Hopefully these areas will give you setting and inspiration for your questions.
Have a good chat!
Liz Verville
Moderator: To those of you just joining us, welcome. Our guests are now reviewing your questions. Answers will appear on this screen shortly. Thank you for your patience.
Q [Yasser Khalil]: Hello Dear Lady
I think our countries (Arab countries) have the highest levels of corruption in the world, and I believe also in that, we need to cooperate with the international society in fighting that corruption. But also we face a very sensitive and special case when it comes to cooperating with US. United States has a very important and a essential role in fighting that phenomena, but also, I see that role is surrounded by some problems (political problems)?
In your opinion, how we can across those problems, and focus on the wide range of interests that we can get by cooperating in fighting corruption.
Thank you
(IRC: US embassy in Egypt), Yasser Khalil
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is John Brandolino. Thank you for your question. The issue of international cooperation is an important one for the global fight against corruption. When 130 countries, including Egypt, met to negotiate the UN Convention against Corruption (Convention), we realized we had to create avenues to facilitate cooperation between countries. Thus, there is an international cooperation chapter in the Convention that outlines a framework for mutual legal assistance and extradtion, which are the main avenues of law enforcement cooperation among countries. Parties can use these frameworks to supplement existing bilateral treaties on law enforcement cooperation or can even, if they choose, use the Convention as a basis to initiate requests for and provide such cooperation. Take a look at Chapter IV of the Convention.
Q [Khawaza Main Uddin]: How will the US support national efforts or force other countries to combat corruption internally? (Khawaza Main Uddin [Bangladesh]
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is Rob Leventhal. Thank you for your question and your participation in this webchat. The U.S. supports national efforts to combat corruption in a variety of ways.
First, the U.S. works closely with other countries to promote the adoption and implementation of international standards. The UN Convention Against Corruption, which has 107 parties and 140 signatories, is the most comprehensive of these, building on the important regional agreements that came before. It reflects a comprehensive approach to combating corruption, including prevention, criminalization, and international cooperation. Bangladesh is a party to the UNCAC.
Second, the U.S. helps other countries with capacity building to support implementation of the convention and to build good governance generally. In the last fiscal year, U.S. assistance in good governance and anticorruption exceeded $350 million globally.
Q [victor hugo2]: So, what is the real facts of corruption in the developed countries? If the salary [for some people] is low, and level of [their] life is high, how we can describe this issue?
thanking you Said Diane
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is John. Corruption is something that affects all countries, no matter what the income levels or state of development. We see corruption in countries where salaries are relatively high. Conversely, we have seen impressive levels of integrity in countries where salaries are relatively low. One thing we can say about corrupt actors: they are less prone to act if the risk is high. So one of the challenges of governments is to create an environment where the risk of participating in corruption outweighs the potential gains. There are also obviously other measures to address corruption in developed countries, including those that help build a culture of lawfulness and integrity in society.
Moderator: Participants in today's webchat may be interested in the U.S. State Department's eJournalUSA "Transforming the Culture of Corruption" available in several languages at: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itdhr/1206/ijde/ijde1206.htm
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan]: LC Karachi: Can you tell us about Inter American Convention Against Corruption? Kindly also inform the audience about Millennium Challenge Account effort by the US Government.
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is Rob Leventhal. Thank you for participating.
The Inter-american Convention against Corruption is the set of anticorruption norms agreed upon in 1996 by many of the members of Organization of American States. It was the first multilateral agreement on corruption in the hemisphere. It contains provisions on preventive measures as well as the criminalization of a range of corrupt conduct such as bribery of public officials. To promote implementation, States Parties subsequently created the Committee of Experts to manage a peer review process whereby countries periodically meet to assess each others' progress in implementing the convention's provisions.
The Millennium Challenge Initiative was created to support economic and social reform through financial assistance to countries that demonstrate a will for reform and progress on concrete measures. A range of indicators chosen to reflect a degree of political will and consequent progress, including in addressing corruption, are reviewed in order to determine eligibility. Eligible countries receive substantial financing for further reform. Countries that are making progress but fall short in a few areas may receive technical assistance to move closer to eligibility. In many cases, the assistance focuses on governance and anticorruption.
Q [Bastiaan]: Is there anything to do about corruption?
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is John Brandolino. It is too easy to be cynical about fighting corruption. Simply pickup any newspaper from around the world on any given day, and you are likely to find some article that discusses a past or present example of corruption.
But we need to keep in perspective the developments that have been made in fighting corruption over the past 15 years.
Fifteen years ago, there were no international treaties relating to corruption. Fifteen years ago, bribes were still tax deductible in some Western countries. Fifteen years ago, many countries felt that corruption was an issue of domestic concern, and that it was not a subject for international attention.
Today, we have several international agreements relating to corruption, including the Convention, which currently has over 100 parties. Today, no country would dare make bribes tax deductible. Today, we have mechanisms in place to facilitate international cooperation against corruption and countries discuss this issue often.
Comment [???]: Mr. and Mrs.
I am insisting on the democracy, human rights and science in China.
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is Rob Leventhal. These are important values in China, the U.S., and the world. We must work together to defend them.
Moderator: If you are just joining us, welcome. If you have more than one question, please ask each one separately. Thank you.
Q [Rarasoa]: Good afternoon, We live in an economic globalization era. The tendancy is to quantify the corruption index in $s or Euros or else thus downplaying the moral concern of this plague. Shouldn't we reverse our priority?
thank you, rarasoa
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: Fighting corruption requires action and measures on a number of fronts. The Convention provides a good example of the different types of such measures and actions. Many governments recognize that corruption is undesirable for various reasons -- not just economic. Whatever the incentive or priority to fight corruption, countries need to take the measures found in the Convention and show political will to address the problem.
Moderator: Dear participants in Zambia ("Bruce", "Shula", and others). Welcome and thank you for your questions, we do see them coming in. However, your questions will not appear on this screen until they are answered by today's guest speakers.
Q [Khawaza Main Uddin]: Can you name any country in the world which has become economically mighty power without certain amount of corruption in the forms of piracy, colonisation, capital accumulation through questionable means, dumping, market distortion, physical occupation and so on? Khawaza Main Uddin [Bangladesh]
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is Rob Leventhal. Thank you for this question. No country is immune from corruption and other forms of criminal conduct. The systems to prevent and sanction corruption -- involving laws, institutions, and other measures -- have to continually evolve. As a case in point, many of the measures brought to bear against corruption in the U.S. were adopted in the last 40 years. Likewise, cooperation among countries, in sharing best practices and cooperating in law enforcement, is essential. Additionally, I'd comment that research by the World Bank and others shows that corruption is uneconomical, distorting policymaking and discouraging economic growth and investment.
Moderator: Participants in today's webchat may be interested in the U.S. State Department's eJournalUSA "Transforming the Culture of Corruption" available in several languages at: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itdhr/1206/ijde/ijde1206.htm
You are invited to join our upcoming webchats on a variety of topics. Please visit the "Ask America" homepage at:
http://www.america.gov/multimedia/askamerica.html
Q [Abraham_Lincoln]: I understand that preventing corruption is very important for the functioning of a healthy democracy. If a government is corrupted, it will damage the people’s trust in democracy and provide an excuse for the military or religious leaders to intervene and take over the government. I understand that some legal mechanisms such as ethics statues, financial disclosure laws, and freedom information laws are generally effective to prevent corruptions. Also, fixed terms of office and regular free elections ensure a healthy democracy and prevent corruptions.
Thus, I am wondering what are the major mechanisms that the United States and international communities are especially putting emphasis on in their efforts to help various countries to prevent corruptions. I would appreciate your advice.
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: The Convention contains an entire chapter (Chapter II) that outlines measures that countries must take to prevent corruption (this is one unique part of this Convention). Take a look at that chapter and you will see some of the measures (the Convention text can be found at www.unodc.org). In general, the preventive measures found in the Convention target three areas: (1) promoting integrity in government (e.g. - procurement, financial management, codes of conduct, etc.), (2) promoting integrity in the private sector (e.g. - eliminating tax deductibility of bribes, enhancing books and records requirements, etc.), and (3) promoting civil society participation in government (e.g. - access to government information, issuance of reports, etc.).
Moderator: Is there a topic you would like to discuss? Please submit your webchat ideas to: askamerica@state.gov
Q [panganani]: I want know what has already been put in place to help African governments on the fight against corruption. Because here in Africa the governments departments are the worse corrupt, now you talk about global framework, in the past few African governments have proved to be able to follow international framework.
So what is been plan in order to solve this problem?
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: Thanks for your question. This is John Brandolino answering. We are currently sitting in Indonesia to try to address the issue that you raise. One of the goals of this meeting is to develop a mechanism that will effectively review implementation of the Convention. The goal of such a mechanism would be to identify where there are gaps in implementing the various Convention measures so we can provide the right assistance to the right countries. We are moving forward with this goal, and we hope that the political will of the international community to fight corruption (which is quite strong) will help increase a similar political will within the States Parties to the Convention.
Moderator: Our guest speakers continue to review your questions. There are many questions coming into the chat today, please be patient as they prepare answers to as many questions as possible.
Q [bruce]: I hold a certificate as a para-legal in Zambia. How can I make effective contributions to the fight against corruption?
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is Rob Leventhal. Anticorruption and the rule of law bear a close relationship. Adoption of strong legal frameworks related to the criminalization and prevention corruption is an important component of a national integrity system. Capacity of the justice system, to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate corrupt conduct is also essential. Further, that capacity requires the independence and integrity of the legal professionals operating within the system -- the police, investigators, prosecutors, judges, and lawyers. As a para-legal, I encourage you to exhibit professionalism and integrity in your practice, as well as to seek opportunities to contribute to the development of strong laws and legal institutions in your country.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan]: LC Karachi: Corruption in top level management & government officials are a tragic advancement in last several decades, but still no solution has been implemented to overcome this, perhaps the role of Governments involved in corruption cannot be challenged on any international body. Don’t you think it’s the right time to negotiate for a mechanism by which governments could brought on trials in international Courts etc?
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is John. There are many options for the international community to tackle the problem of corruption. Many effective options used in the past fifteen years are involve a positive approach to strengthening international cooperation and energizing domestic action within individual countries. As mentioned in an earlier answer, we have made great strides in the past fifteen years. We should continue and increase these constructive and positive efforts that help build international political will and cooperation.
Q [IRC Cairo]: How can we overcome corruption between youth in developing countries as it is now one of the feature of the new generation.
Ali Ahmed
IRC Cairo
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is Rob Leventhal. In many countries, the young are among the most ardent proponents of reform, so this is a distressing question. Education on civic values such as ethics and integrity can play a useful role. Engagement by youth in reform efforts and in pressing for democratic accountability in the system as a whole may overcome cynicism and inculcate a sense of ownership. When you feel that you have a stake in the system, you are more inclined not to undermine it through corruption.
Moderator: Information about U.S. anticorruption initiatives and other programs can be found at the homepage for the Bureau of Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at:
http://www.state.gov/p/inl/corr/
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan]: LC Karachi: Dear Elizebeth and guests,
Would you like to tell us about the steps taken by the US government to fight corruption?
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is John Brandolino. It would be difficult in this short time and space to outline the various ways that the US fights corruption. Let me refer you to two reports that were prepared to illustrate how the US complies with various international anticorruption commitments. First is a report done by the Council of Europe after is evaluated US anticorruption efforts on two occasions:
http://www.coe.int/t/dg1/greco/evaluations/round1/reports(round1)en.asp
The second is the US response to a UN Convention questionnaire that solicits information on US implementation of several anticorruption measures found in the Convention: www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/rpt/91886.htm
Comment [Naimat Ullah Khan]: LC Karachi: US Government with USAID & its regional Partner bodies working on a very positive project of Junior Magistrates Training program in Romania, this kind of training to law enforcement bodies & officials across the world could help a lot.
Comment [muyuya]: This is muyuya. You have said that you will be in Indonesia trying to find ways of preventing and fighting corruption. One important aspect you should consider is that of trying to get to the root cause of corruption, this is because low salaries are not always the cause of corruption there could be something else that could lead people to be corrupt.
Moderator: To those of you just joining us, welcome to our webchat. The webchat will continue for a few more minutes. We hope you will understand that there were many questions coming in for our speakers, they have attempted to respond to as many of your questions as possible in the scheduled time.
We are posting some of your comments as well.
Q [mwanakatwe purankaravidic2]: What is the American government [role in fighting corruption] as an apparent spear header of most of the worlds political affairs?
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: This is Rob Leventhal. Thank you for your question. The U.S. government has a record of leadership on the issue of combating corruption at the international level, but we do not go it alone. The U.S. has been a strong proponent of the adoption of international standards, leading most recently to the adoption of the UN Convention Against Corruption, the most comprehensive (substantively and in the number of signatories and parties) international treaty on corruption. It is also a leader in supporting other countries' efforts to strengthen their ability to prevent and sanction corruption and enhance transparency and integrity. Last year, the U.S. spent over $350 million globally on such programs.
However, it is important to note that the U.S. worked multilaterally to negotiate the UN Convention and is working multilaterally to support implementation. Likewise, the U.S. shares best practices in fighting corruption through its technical assistance programs, but also learns from the best practices of other countries.
Finally, corruption is both a domestic and a transnational issue, and collaboration between and among countries on law enforcement to combat corruption is essential.
Q [VictorCabezas]: I'm Ecuadorian! Very proud, but corruption is one of the most critical aspects that makes Ecuador famous. We are very politically unstable, and right now we are in a Constitutional Assembly to change our last constitution, but it has only about 2 or 3 months and already we are hearing about paying the assemblies to approve new laws. What can young people do? We feel really powerless! And we were the ones who elected them! Thanks for these kind of chats! Are really helpful!
A [UNCAC Conference Participants]: One can sometimes feel overwhelmed when we see corruption around us. While it is easy to simply accept corruption and adapt to its existence in our lives, it is tougher to ask the questions that you are asking, including "what can we do about it?" There are lots of examples around the world of local action that can inspire us.
A good example is the children of Siciliy who started writing their home newspapers and asking why certain individuals involved in organized crime were allowed to build their houses on hills that were not zoned for residential building. Posting of these letters in the newspaper led to the bulldozing of illegal homes and also to a regular column on such inquiries by children. In turn, the column led to an increase in public anger and action against corrupt officials.
Keep charging ahead - and, if it is any consolation, know that the international community is behind you.
Comment [mwanakatwe purankaravidic2]: the topic in discussion has had a major impact on wealth distribution and as African we suffer due to this. It is this that has made us to never dream of having potbellies as all the monies are accumulating in personals of public service/our government officials....were are we as youths heeding to. Pliz hasten with the replies coz I am uzin a public cyber cafe.
Comment [shula]: KENNEDY SHULA: Corruption is a CANCER planted in people's brain cells. I think it is high time we joined forces and robust education about the change of people's mine set to heal this deadly disease. I should also point out that, leader's selfishness, have made people in most countries become corrupt there is no equity in the sharing of the resources. Most leaders we elect nowadays do not represent the electorates.
Instead, concentration is much more on their families, and how many assets shall be accumulated before end of term. Please, LEADERS, change, you are there because of us.
Comment [mwanakatwe purankaravidic2]: thank you for the replies! I do agree personally with shula..you kno shula even tho you liken it to cancer it still be implanted with the help of positive thinkers as shula and all the panel of participants. keep up the good work n pliz email on anything new
UNCAC Conference Participants: This is John Brandolino. Sorry we have to close this chat now (and sorry if we did not have time to answer your question). It was great hearing from so many people throughout the world who have an interest in anticorruption efforts. Remember, the news is not all bad. We need to keep our heads up high and continue to move ahead. Thanks again for participating.
UNCAC Conference Participants: This is Rob Leventhal. I want to thank all of those who submitted questions -- I am sorry that time did not permit us to answer all of them.
The large number of questions and the variety of issues posed and countries represented reflect the continuing concern in all of our societies with the issue of corruption. In the last 15 years, addressing corruption has increasingly become a key issue for the community of nations -- leading to the adoption of the first regional and global standards; new research demonstrating the links between corruption and diminished development and investment; and the development of increasingly focused programs of technical assistance to share best practices and build capacity. However, there is much to do, and we count on your enthusiasm and interest in keeping up the fight.
Moderator: We wish to thank Elizabeth Verville, John Brandolino, and Robert Leventhal for joining us today. The webchat is now closed. We hope you will understand that there were many questions coming in to the chat room--our guests tried to answer as many as possible.
A full transcript of today's webchat will be available on our Ask America homepage usually within one business day.
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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
