Anti-Corruption Day: Break the Corruption Chain
On October 31, 2003, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption and designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption.
The 2015 joint international campaign focuses on how corruption undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to human rights violations, distorts markets, erodes quality of life and allows organized crime, terrorism and other threats to human security to flourish.
The campaign #breakthechain also highlights that corruption is a cross-cutting crime, impacting many areas. It shows that acting against corruption is imperative to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all.
“Global attitudes towards corruption have changed dramatically,” said Ban Ki-moon, U.N. Secretary-General in his 2015 Anti-Corruption Day address. “Where once bribery, corruption and illicit financial flows were often considered part of the cost of doing business, today corruption is widely, and rightly, understood as criminal and corrosive. The new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, our plan to end poverty and ensure lives of dignity for all, recognizes the need to fight corruption in all its aspects and calls for significant reductions in illicit financial flows as well as for the recovery of stolen assets.”
Corruption exacerbates violence and insecurity, he said. It can lead to dissatisfaction with public institutions, disillusion with government in general, and spirals of anger and unrest.
“The United Nations Convention against Corruption provides a comprehensive platform for governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society and individual citizens. Through prevention, criminalization, international cooperation and assets recovery, the Convention advances global progress toward ending corruption.
“On International Anti-Corruption Day, I call for united efforts to deliver a clear message around the world that firmly rejects corruption and embraces instead the principles of transparency, accountability and good governance. This will benefit communities and countries, helping to usher in a better future for all.”
WMU and Maersk Line join forces
Maersk Line has partnered with the World Maritime University (WMU) in a unique higher education project on corruption awareness. The corruption awareness project - known as CORA - is co-funded by the A.P. Moller Support Fund and Maersk Line. It will be launched on December 15, 2015 and is expected to conclude on September 30, 2016.
As part of the CORA project, WMU will design, test, and deliver a Master’s level course focused on business integrity issues and corruption awareness, both of which are growing areas of interest for shipowners and the IMO. The course contains five modules: corruption awareness, maritime security and safety, leadership, change and communication, negotiation techniques and a mentoring module where WMU and Maersk representatives will provide mentoring for selected candidates after they return to their home countries. In addition to supporting the development of the course, CORA provides a full fellowship for a student to join the WMU MSc program in Malmö.
Case studies provided by Maersk Line will support the project, as will the experiences of WMU faculty who will be sailing on Maersk ships in order to acquire first-hand knowledge regarding best practices for both public and private actors in the shipping industry. Kristin Berglund, Senior Legal Advisor for Maersk Line, will work with the WMU team led by Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor Lisa L. Froholdt.
The WMU CORA team is enthusiastic about the unique nature of this course with its mentoring component as well as the significant contribution that will be made by Maersk Line. Froholdt stated, “Business integrity and corruption awareness is a global issue. I am grateful to Maersk for this opportunity and for the fact that Maersk Line has chosen to work with WMU on this significant project.”
Maersk Line Chief Operating Officer Soren Toft stated, “Corruption is a real issue in many parts of the world, and one that we face daily in the shipping industry. Maersk has a zero-tolerance policy on fraud and corruption, but the battle is not won overnight and requires that we work together. As the largest container carrier we have an obligation to help resolve the issue more widely, and by partnering with WMU we believe we can take another step towards a maritime industry free of corruption.”
“We are delighted to mark the United Nations’ International Anti-Corruption Day today by announcing a new initiative, which harnesses the expertise of both the World Maritime University and Maersk Line to raise awareness of corruption,” says WMU’s President, Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry. “The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Transforming our World, is informing all the University’s activities. The joint initiative with Maersk Line responds directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”
More information on corruption and development is available here.
More information on corruption and the environment is available here.