The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay on Wednesday said that corruption was killing humanitarian and development project. Pillay called for a coordinated human-rights based approach among UN agencies, civil society and inter-governmental groups to fight the scourge and reverse the ugly trend in the drive to speed up development globally, especially in the developing countries;.
``Corruption is an enormous obstacle to the realisation of all human rights, in practical terms – whether it is civil, political, economic,social and cultural, as well as the right to development,’’ Pillay told the UN Human Rights Council.
She noted that from 2000 to 2009, developing countries lost 8.44 trillion dollars to illicit financial flows – equivalent to more than 10 times the foreign aid they received.
According to her, the money stolen through corruption every year is enough to feed the world’s hungry 80 times over.
Pillay added that bribes and theft swell the total cost of projects to provide safe drinking water and sanitation around the world by as much as 40 per cent.
Noting the growing awareness of the intrinsic links between human rights and the struggle to combat corruption, the High Commissioner told the panel of the ‘negative impact of corruption on human rights and stressed that ``there is an urgent need to increase synergy.’’
She stressed the need for greater coordination to implement international human rights conventions and the UN Convention against Corruption, the legally binding, global anti-corruption instrument promoted by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Pillay, however, stated that so far 165 countries have become Parties to the Convention.
She also called for stronger policy coherence and collaboration between UNODC, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), office, civil society and the intergovernmental processes in Vienna, Geneva and New York.
``As we continue to clarify the links between corruption and human rights, groups working to combat corruption locally and internationally will see more clearly the value of working with agencies in the field of human rights,” Pillay said.
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