STATEMENT OF THE G-77 AND CHINA AT THE 6TH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE STATES PARTIES TO THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION AGAINST CORRUPTION, ST. PETERSBURG, 2-6 NOVEMBER 2015 DELIVERED BY H.E RACHMAT BUDIMAN, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF INDONESIA, ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA
SAINT PETERSBURG, 2 NOVEMBER 2015
Mr. President,
1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. I express our sincere congratulations for your election as President of this Conference. I also wish to extend our felicitations to the members of the Bureau. Let me also thank the Government of Russian Federation for hosting this meeting in this historic and magnificent city and for the warm hospitality and arrangements.
2. Let me convey my appreciation to the outgoing President of the Conference, the representative of the Government of Panama, for her commitment and leadership.
3. The Group wishes to thank the Secretariat as well as the national organizing committee for the preparation of this Conference.
Mr. President,
4. The Group would like to take this opportunity to also convey its deepest condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families of all victims of the recent plane crashed tragedy in the northern part of Sinai. Our heart and solidarity go to the people of the Russian Federation in their bereavement. 5. The Group stresses the importance of the fight against corruption, which represents one of the major obstacles to development, including by diverting funds intended for achieving sustainable social and economic wellbeing of our societies.
6. The Group welcomes the adoption of the “Doha Declaration”, where we committed ourselves, to make every effort to prevent and counter corruption, including through implementing measures aimed at enhancing transparency in public administration and promoting the integrity and accountability of our criminal justice systems, in accordance with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
7. The Group further welcomes the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly in September this year of the post-2015 Development Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, in which under Goal 16, we committed, ourselves inter alia, to substantially reducing corruption and bribery in all its forms.
8. The Group welcomes the accession since the last Conference held in Panama City of new States Parties to the Convention, Gambia, Germany, Grenada, Oman, State of Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan and Tuvalu.
9. The Group reiterates that the purpose of the Review Mechanism is to assist State Parties in effectively implementing the Convention and while reaffirming the resolution 3/1, wishes to emphasize that the Terms of Reference, especially the Guiding Principles and characteristics of the mechanism, should be fully and consistently complied with throughout the review process.
10. The Group considers that the Review Mechanism has been a success in terms of participation and results, particularly for supporting the efforts of States parties in implementing the Convention. The Group highlights as a positive outcome of the Mechanism, the exchange and development of expertise among the States Parties, as well as the provision of Technical Assistance to requesting States, based on their specific needs identified in the review process.
11. The Group emphasizes the importance of promoting the exchange of information, including good practices, lessons learned and challenges met in the implementation of Chapter III on Criminalization and Law Enforcement and Chapter IV on International Cooperation of the Convention during the first cycle.
12. The Review mechanism requires sustainable and predictable funding to ensure its efficient, continued and impartial functioning. Therefore, the Group reiterates its position that the Mechanism should be funded from the regular budget of the United Nations in accordance with the terms of reference.
13. The Group supports the launching of the Second cycle of the review mechanism at this Conference in accordance with Resolution 3/1 and looks forward to starting the review of all articles of Chapters II on Preventive Measures and Chapter V on Asset Recovery of the Convention during the seventh session of the Implementation Review Group.
14. Technical assistance is a crosscutting issue throughout the Convention, and is crucial for its effective and efficient implementation, and thus needs to be given special attention.
15. The Group calls for sufficient and stable funding to develop and implement programs and projects which provide, at the request of the recipient country, appropriate technical assistance to implement the Convention.
16. The Group commends the Secretariat for its continuous efforts in providing, within its mandate and upon request, a broad set of tailored technical assistance activities at the global, regional and national levels.
17. The Group of G-77 and China reiterates the importance of implementing chapter II on Preventive Measures of the Convention and highlights the importance of developing and promoting effective policies and practices aimed at the prevention of corruption.
18. The Group reiterates the importance of the "Marrakech Declaration on the Prevention of Corruption" (Resolution 4/3) in encouraging the integration of prevention in anti-corruption national strategies.
19. The Group takes note of the report of the Secretariat on the Implementation of Resolution 5/4 related to the follow up of the Marrakesh Declaration on the prevention of corruption. In this regard the Group welcomes the measures adopted by States Parties to prevent corruption such as transparency in public administration, access to information and indices to measure transparency according to domestic legislation.
20. The Group calls for the need to strengthen cooperation among Governmental entities and relevant stakeholders at the national level, particularly in the areas of awareness raising campaigns, dissemination, education and promotion of good practices in preventing corruption.
21. Furthermore, we recognize the important work carried out by the intergovernmental working group on prevention of corruption as a forum amongst States Parties to exchange good practices, experiences and lessons learned in meeting challenges in the prevention of corruption. In this regard, the Group looks forward to the follow-up to the recommendations from the working group.
22. The Group of 77 and China underscores that the return of assets is a fundamental principle of UNCAC as stated in its Article 51, and States Parties shall afford one another the widest measures of international cooperation. The Group invites all States Parties to fully respect their commitment, and stresses the importance of reviewing the implementation of Chapter V of the Convention, during the second cycle of the UNCAC review mechanism.
23. The complexities, delays and high cost of asset recovery are largely occasioned by lack of political will, lack of cooperation, legal barriers, and cumbersome bureaucratic procedures in the requested States. The Group firmly believes that more effective political will and concrete action are needed, to implement cooperation and assistance in this issue. More agile and simpler procedures should thus be put in place, while safeguarding the due process of law.
24. The Group, further, urges all States, in the spirit of the Convention, to facilitate the quick return of assets, including assets that have not been accounted for and that are found in safe havens, to the countries of origin and assist the requesting States in identification, tracing, freezing, seizure and recovery of assets and to minimize the costs for the requesting State. The Group therefore, calls upon the State Parties to urgently redouble efforts towards strengthening the mechanisms for dismantling safe havens for proceeds of corruption and ensuring the return of stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin.
25. The Group recognizes the important work of the intergovernmental working group on asset recovery as a forum that has facilitated an exchange of ideas and experiences among States on ways and means to expedite the return of stolen assets to the countries of origin.
26. In this regard, the Group looks forward to the follow-up to the recommendations from the working group.
27. International cooperation is a crucial element in the implementation of the Convention, especially among law enforcement and central authorities who play a key role in this matter.
28. The Group recognizes the importance of the work of the intergovernmental expert group meeting for international cooperation as a forum that has facilitated an exchange of ideas and experiences among States to enhance international cooperation. In this regard, the Group looks forward to the follow-up of the recommendations from the intergovernmental expert group meeting for international cooperation.
29. The Group considers that the use of civil and administrative proceedings is also a very effective tool for combatting corruption and recovering stolen assets. The use of this tool should thus be strengthened and international cooperation for these proceedings should be enhanced.
30. Furthermore, the Group calls upon all States Parties to avoid unilateral actions and sanctions that might weaken the international cooperation framework and States Parties' capabilities to fight against corruption.
Mr. President,
31. The Group looks forward to the holding in 2017 of the seventh Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, which will be held in Austria and expresses its gratitude in advance for their generous offer.
Thank you, Mr. President.
CLOSING STATEMENT OF THE G-77 AND CHINA AT THE 6TH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE STATES PARTIES TO THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION AGAINST CORRUPTION,
DELIVERED BY H.E. MR. RACHMAT BUDIMAN, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF INDONESIA
SAINT PETERSBURG, 6 NOVEMBER 2015
Mr. President,
1. On behalf of the Group of 77 and China, I would like to congratulate you and the bureau in ably leading all of us to successfully complete our work in this esteemed Conference.
2. The Group believes that as we close this Session, we have reaffirmed our commitment to the effective implementation of the Convention.
3. The Group also appreciates the contribution and cooperation of all other Delegations and the sponsor towards reaching consensus to all draft resolutions, in particular on the continuation of the review of the implementation of the Convention.
4. The Group therefore welcome the launching of the Second cycle of the review mechanism at this Conference in accordance with Resolution 3/1 and looks forward to starting the review of all articles of Chapters II on Preventive Measures and Chapter V on Asset Recovery of the Convention during the seventh session of the Implementation Review Group.
5. Lastly, the Group offers its warm thanks to the Government of the Russian Federation for hosting this meeting in this historic and magnificent city and for the warm hospitality. We have all been impressed by the organization of this Conference.
