UNIS/CP/540
15 February 2007
Senior UN Official Praises China's Efforts to Curb Corruption
VIENNA, 15 February 2007 (UN Information Service) -- The Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, welcomed today the announcement of the Government of China that it would establish a powerful new corruption prevention agency.
"China sometimes gets bad press for corruption scandals. Personally, I believe it also deserves praise for its increasingly active role in preventing and prosecuting corruption," Mr. Costa said.
"China's booming economy is creating enormous wealth. It is also creating great temptations. Corrupt officials have stolen billions of Chinese yuan from health care, education, water supply and other projects which are essential for the people of China".
Mr. Costa described plans to create a state-wide anti-graft agency, to complement the anti-corruption work of the procurator's office and the Ministry of Supervision, as evidence of the Government's commitment to implementing the UN Convention against Corruption, which China ratified last year.
A keystone of that Convention is the establishment of independent anti-corruption authorities. China was a major force in the creation of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities which held its inaugural meeting in Beijing in 2006.
Such bodies, if given sufficient independence, resources and training, can be effective in preventing corruption and strengthening transparency and accountability in both the public and private sectors.
"The Chinese Government has not only recognized its responsibility to stop corruption on behalf of its own people, it is also playing a major international role in combating this debilitating crime," Mr. Costa added.
UNODC is custodian of the Convention against Corruption.
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For further information, contact:
Richard
Murphy
UNODC Spokesman
Telephone: +43 1 26060 5761
Mobile: +43 699 1459 5761
Email:
richard.murphy@unodc.org
