News Archive
Opening Session: De Gucht, De Decker, Gurria, and Wolfowitz
News reported on 03/14/07 11:00 AM
Led by a dynamic panel of state officials and leaders of international organizations, "Improving Governance and Fighting Corruption" kicked off its opening session in Brussels, Belgium.
K. De Gucht K. De Gucht
Mr. Karel de Gucht, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Belgium, began with remarks on the aim of the conference. "Our ambition is not to produce yet another lofty piece of paper on good governance, but to have an interactive 'working conference.' There will be no final declaration tomorrow, no 'Egmont Statement', no 'Appel de Bruxelles.' What we are aiming for, is a no nonsense analysis, concrete ideas and clear, actionable recommendations for the future." de Gucht said, concluding with the hope that the conference's results would feed directly into the Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the OECD-DAC Ministerial.
De Gucht was followed by Mr. Armand de Decker, Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation, who spoke in French, Dutch, and English about the importance of anti-corruption efforts. De Decker noted that by agreeing to the Millennium Development Goals, donor countries had implicitly embraced the centrality of governance to development efforts, which requires a good North-South dialogue. He praised what he called a "unique form of government," the democracy. De Decker also acknowledged the Bank's work on good governance and anti-corruption programs.
A. Gurria
Mr. Angel Gurria, Secretary General of OECD, called corruption the ultimate threat to good government, the private sector, and economic development. He noted that the OECD is a leader in anti-corruption through programs that improve transparency in the public sector, and encourage responsibility in the private sector. On the supply side, said Gurria, the organization's Anti-Bribery Convention, the main goal of which is to make bribery a crime. "Thanks to the convention, bribery is no longer 'business as usual,'" said Gurria, although he noted that many signatories of the convention have not yet begun even a single investigation into bribery. "Povery is the ultimate systemic threat," concluded Gurria, and he urged the audience to ensure that every penny is spent effectively to fight it.
P. Wolfowitz
Mr. Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, stressed the promise of Africa for the future in his remarks on why governance is important to development. He noted that Africa is changing, with higher levels of growth and signs of response to reforms. He cited the example of Nuhu Ribadu, Head of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which reclaimed more than $5 billion in stolen assets for the country and put powerful people in jail for corruption. Finally, Wolfowitz discussed the Government and Anti-Corruption (GAC) Strategy Paper produced after the last Spring Meetings. "We consulted with more than 3,200 stakeholders in 35 developing countries and 12 donor countries. We also held four global events and gathered more feedback through the Web," said Wolfowitz. "The issue is not *whether* we should support governance and anti-corruption reform, but *how.*" In answer to that question, he spoke to the potential of private business as a partner. "I am convinced we can make progress in the fight against poverty only if we engage the energy, talent, and 'can-do' attitude of the private sector--from the largest firms to the small enterprise."
At the Conference
