The United Nations (UN) plays a significant role in the international fight against corruption in many countries of the Earth. The solution to this issue is as relevant as many other pressing problems that this international organization solves. The UN Convention against Corruption has become another step in the fight against this criminal phenomenon, which hinders the development of fair competition in the framework of free market relations.
Background
In 2003, a high-level UN Political Conference was held in the city of Merida in Mexico, in the framework of which the UN Convention against Corruption was signed by the first parties. This day, December 9 - the start date of the Mexican conference - became the official day of the fight against corruption.
The UN Convention Against Corruption itself was adopted a little earlier - 10/31/2003. This decision was approved at the UN General Assembly. The vast majority of states agreed on the need for official recognition of this problem. To solve this problem, collective action and measures are needed.
The UN Convention against Corruption entered into force only in 2005 - after the expiration of the 90-day period after the signing of this document by 30 UN member states. Unfortunately, given the fact that the UN is a huge international organization, decision-making mechanisms are rather slow and slow, so it takes months or even years to implement many of the provisions.
Key Points
This document sets out in detail the essence of international corruption, its main characteristics. It also proposes specific measures to combat and combat corruption. UN experts have developed an official terminology and agreed on a list of measures that each state that has acceded to the convention must ensure in order to combat corruption.
The convention details the principles for hiring public officials, provides recommendations on public procurement, reporting and many other issues that contribute to more transparent public and private relations.
Who signed and ratified
To date, the vast majority of Member States have acceded to the UN Convention against Corruption.
Of particular interest to many experts is article 20 of the UN Convention against Corruption, which refers to the illegal enrichment of government officials. The fact is that not all countries have internal legal norms and laws that allow the application of the norms of this article.
There are many myths in Russia about why article 20 of the UN Convention against Corruption does not work. According to some critics, this was done to please some groups of influence that did not want to lose power and control.
However, there is a legal explanation for this fact - the content of article 20 is contrary to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which states the presumption of innocence. Moreover, in Russia there is no such legal term as “illegal enrichment”. All this makes it impossible to implement the provisions of this article on the territory of the Russian Federation. However, this does not mean that it will always be so. Moreover, such a situation is stipulated in the convention - all provisions of the convention should be implemented only if there are legal and legislative prerequisites.
Targets and goals
The main goal is to eradicate such a criminal phenomenon as corruption, as it completely contradicts the principles of democracy and free market relations, both between states and between individual companies. Corruption impedes the development of many regions and even states.
States that have signed and ratified this document have committed themselves to detect and combat corruption. The UN Convention facilitates international cooperation in detecting cases of corruption, both regionally and globally.
For this purpose, a conference of the states parties to the UN Convention against Corruption is convened every 2 years, within the framework of which the information on the measures taken is updated. Participants discuss the effectiveness of the recommendations made, make new decisions about future cooperation and partnership in the fight against corruption. In 2015, the conference was held in Russia, in St. Petersburg.