UN calls for global decision to fight corruption
Afp, Shuneh
The head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) called on yesterday for a global political will to fight against corruption, and urged world governments to set up anti-graft task forces. "People around the world must do more to fight corruption. We need a political decision," Antonio Maria Costa told the first session of a conference of parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption. The convention, the first legally binding international tool to battle corruption, was adopted by the UN General Assembly in October 2003. Nearly 150 countries have signed the convention but only 80 have ratified it so far, according to the UNODC. In a message to the conference, outgoing UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged all countries to ratify the convention, saying it was essential to accelerate world development and reduce crime.
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