OPENING
STATEMENT BY MR. JORN HOLME, STATE SECRETARY, DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE OF
Mr President,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, I would like to express
our gratitude to you, Mr. President, and your country for hosting this
important conference for the signing of the first global convention against
corruption. I am pleased to see so many countries attending the Conference.
Corruption is a global phenomenon and a
pervasive problem in every part of the world. Corruption is a threat to
democracy, human rights and social justice. It undermines sound decision
making, distorts competition and thus impedes economic growth and sustainable
development.
Corruption is particularly harmful to
the developing countries with the most vulnerable economies and populations.
The poorest cannot afford to pay bribes to receive the social services that are
rightfully theirs. In a weak or small economy, high levels of corruption can
have macroeconomic effects that have a decisive impact on social and economic
development. If we are to achieve our common UN goal of halving the share of
the world's poorest by 2015, and as pointed out by
Kenya yesterday, we must keep corruption on the top of our agenda and fight it
by all available means. Norway believes that the Convention we have here before
us is essential for achieving this end.
Since corruption is a global problem, a
collective global effort is required to combat it. The Convention provides a
foundation for this. It will be an effective UN instrument that will provide a
necessary framework for better co-operation action and co-operation. However,
the Convention alone will not solve our common corruption problems unless it is
effectively enforced.
In order to ensure that the Convention
is implemented and national legislation is put in place and enforced, it is
vital to have an effective and objective follow-up mechanism. We cannot allow
the disparity between what is said and what is done to undermine the
credibility of the Convention and the credibility of states in the fight
against corruption. We therefore encourage all states to ratify the Convention
as soon as possible, and to ensure its effective implementation.
Finally, we would also like to
underline that sufficient support should be given to the United Nations Office
on Drugs and Crime to enable it to promote the rapid entry into force of the
Convention and to assist states in their implementation of the Convention.
Thank you, Mr. President.