From Africa Recovery, Vol.11#3 (February 1998), Briefs page

Global Coalition for Africa urges anti-corruption fight

African leaders should initiate a concerted drive to combat corruption in all spheres of government activity, business transactions and international procurement, concluded a 1-2 November meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, of the Global Coalition for Africa (GCA). The GCA, an informal forum for dialogue among African and donor officials, also urged the international community to criminalize bribery in international business transactions.

Several weeks later, on 17 December, the 34 member-states of the industrialized countries' Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) signed a convention to make bribery of foreign public officials a criminal offence. A result of protracted negotiations within the OECD, the convention does not apply to payments to foreign political parties or private individuals, however. Subject to approval by national legislatures, the convention, which is binding, will take effect by the end of 1998.

The GCA meeting observed that while corruption is a worldwide phenomenon, its impact in Africa is particularly serious because the total amount of available resources in most countries is relatively small. Corruption and capital flight are closely connected, with embezzled funds often finding their way into secret accounts in developed countries, noted a statement of the GCA co-chairs, President Ketumile Masire of Botswana, President Alpha Oumar Konaré of Mali, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Speaker of the South African Parliament Frene Ginwala, and Dutch Development Cooperation Minister Jan Pronk. They suggested the need to alter the laws and regulations governing the international banking system, to make it easier to trace and recover embezzled funds.

Material from this article may be freely reproduced, with attribution to "Africa Recovery, United Nations".
We would appreciate a copy of the reproduction.

Africa Recovery
Room S-931
United Nations
New York, NY 10017 USA

Tel: (212) 963-6857
Fax: (212) 963-4556
Email: africa_recovery@un.org

Website: www.africarecovery.org
Contact us by email: africa_recovery@un.org