SPEECH
OF THE HEAD OF
Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Pakistan delegation thanks the Government of Mexico for
extending hospitality for the signing ceremony of this historic Convention on
Corruption.
Mr. Chairman sir,
the Government of Pakistan accords high priority to combating corruption as it
believes that eradication of corruption is essential for effective governance
and that it has a crucial role in poverty alleviation. The Government's
commitment in this regard is exemplary, to say the least.
Our Government is glad to note that the
final draft of the UN Convention fulfills the purposes and objectives laid down
by the UN General Assembly in its successive resolutions. This Convention will
prove instrumental in addressing the chronic issues in corruption faced by the
comity of nations; particularly the provisions relating to recovery of assets,
etc. shall go a long way in fighting transnational corruption. The recognition
of recovery as a fundamental principle of the Convention will be helpful as it
responds to the concerns of several developing states that have been affected
by the adverse consequences of funds illegally diverted.
Mr. Chairman, the Government of
Pakistan is committed to implement preventive measures to the fullest. The
Cabinet has already sanctioned a comprehensive action plan to combat
corruption. But there are a number of hurdles specifically of social and
economic nature. To cope with these difficulties, it is expected that adequate
technical assistance shall be provided for capacity enhancement facilitating
implementation of the preventive measures as envisaged in the Convention.
Mr. Chairman, we take this opportunity
to thank all the participating delegations that contributed in the
deliberations leading to the draft Convention. It was the objective of the
Government of Pakistan to make this Convention a genuinely comprehensive
multilateral text. We are pleased that the present text has also added value to
the Transnational Organized Crime (TCO) Convention. The legal concepts
incorporated and the provisions of mutual legal assistance will provide a basis
for improved future work in other areas.
Let me thank once again the Government
of Mexico on behalf of the Government Pakistan for hosting this event. We hope
that the signatory states will expedite the ratification process.