Morocco Calls, at UN, for More Efforts Globally To Counter Corruption

On the occasion of the extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly on the fight against corruption, Morocco stressed that despite the progress made at the global level, more efforts are needed to achieve the objectives set by the United Nations Convention against Corruption and related regional agreements.

In an speech delivered on behalf of the Kingdom during this session, held virtually (June 2-4), president of the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and the Fight against Corruption (INPPLC), Mohamed Bachir Rachdi, said that corruption has become more widespread and complex and its impact has increased on economies due to the exploitation by its perpetrators of all the loopholes in the management of public affairs, the exploitation of technological development, and the evolution of global financial mechanisms and networks.

Faced with these challenges, he underlined the pressing need to continue the mobilization to combat this scourge, in particular in the context of the exceptional global circumstances linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a press release from the INPPLC on Wednesday, Rachdi noted that the achievement of concrete results in the fight against corruption remains dependent on a comprehensive strategic approach combining awareness, education, prevention and criminalization, in addition to the intensification of international cooperation and the sharing of experiences and good practices.

In this regard, he called for strengthening the efforts made at the global level to fight corruption as a priority, stressing that this scourge cannot be defeated without the commitment, mobilization and cooperation of all countries, with the active involvement of all components of society, namely the public sector, political stakeholders, the private sector, the media and civil society.

He recalled in this regard the progress made by the Kingdom to combat this phenomenon since the ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, via the adoption of a set of policies and measures to back up the various structural reforms meant to accelerate the economic, social, political and legal development, strengthen the credibility of the administration and institutions, protect investors and improve the business climate, as well as the achievements enshrined in the 2011 constitution.

Rachdi also noted the adoption of the new law establishing the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and the Fight against Corruption as an independent constitutional body, endowed with all the guarantees and assets necessary to carry out its mission and play its central role in a framework of complementarity and collective and responsible mobilization.