British Ambassador delivers speech to mark International Anti-corruption Day
The British Ambassador, Carolyn Davidson, spoke today at the opening of an event in Guatemala City to mark International Anti-corruption Day, the “Marathon Against Corruption”.
The event was sponsored jointly by Transparency International and its chapter in Guatemala, Accion Ciudadana, as well as other international bodies.
Ambassador Davidson said:
Good morning to all. I am delighted to be here today to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, a day that we commemorate in all British embassies around the world. I am also pleased to see so many representatives from different sectors of Guatemalan society. All together here, with the wealth of our knowledge and different points of view, we recognize that corruption is an evil that must be eradicated, and most importantly, we recognize that it is not easy to do it.
Corruption has become one of the great global issues of our time. It has been a key topic in recent elections in countries such as Brazil and Mexico. Why? Because corruption distorts economic growth, creates unequal conditions in the rules that apply to trade and investment, increases costs for companies and affects everyone, especially the poorest.
The United Kingdom recognizes that it is not immune to the effects of corruption. Corruption undermines trust in our institutions, which is bad for the links between government and citizens and bad for business too. A major milestone in our work to tackle corruption was the publication of our National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2017-2022. This has resulted in the implementation of stricter financial laws and stronger working links with international law enforcement officers. If you are interested, the strategy is available online. I recommend it.
According to Transparency International, the United Kingdom is one of only four nations that actively implements measures against international bribes, and ranks among the ten least corrupt countries in the world. This did not happen overnight, since 2010, when the Anti-Bribery Act was introduced, we have continually advanced our processes to improve prevention and punish corruption. Prevention is key. In the United Kingdom, we recognize that measures to design out corruption are more cost effective than enforcement action against corrupt individuals. That is why initiatives in Guatemala such as Open Government and Transparency in the Construction Sector (COST), are so important. There will be no sustainable prosperity without transparency.
Guatemala has taken enormous steps in the fight against corruption, hand in hand with the international community and as the Guatemalan people themselves requested when CICIG was installed. Today the Prosecutor General’s Office of Guatemala is better trained than ever, and under the exceptional leadership of Consuelo Porras, has the responsibility to continue working to strengthen democracy, the fight against corruption and impunity, and respect for the rule of law.
This is a real challenge. And I expect that this will undoubtedly be a key issue for the political discussions during the elections next year.
In my spare time I like to run; the image of the fight against corruption as a marathon and not a “sprint” seems to me very accurate. For any run, you have to train, you have to establish systems and practices that increase the probability of reaching your goal, and not just focus on complaining about the performance of your competitor.
The United Kingdom will continue to work closely with Guatemala to achieve a more transparent society by addressing corruption and working together to prevent it. Thank you.