December 9 marks the International Anti-Corruption Day, a date set by the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) to emphasize the importance of preventing and fighting this phenomenon, as well as to emphasize the fundamental role of the Convention on Corruption. UN against corruption (Uncac).

Recently, the 20th anniversary of the Convention was marked, the only universal legally binding instrument for the fight against corruption, to which 190 countries are part, including Ecuador, which ratified this instrument on September 15, 2005.

UNCAC not only represents a fundamental framework for preventing and punishing corruption, promoting international cooperation, recovery and restitution of stolen property, technical assistance and information exchange, but also plays a key role in strengthening the integrity of the judicial systems of all States parties.

As we well know, corruption has direct consequences for state institutions, and the lack of integrity and transparency within judicial systems poses a serious threat to the rule of law, in addition to weakening their ability to guarantee the protection of law and justice. impunity.

Within this framework and emphasizing the need for the judiciary to be free from corruption and for its members to act with integrity, UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), the entity I represent in the region, promoted the creation of the Global Judicial Integrity Network, which enables the exchange of good practices , and especially enables us to jointly face challenges related to judicial integrity and corruption prevention.

The results so far have enabled us to strengthen the judicial systems, but major challenges still remain. imposed by organized crime, which through corruption has perfected its tactics of infiltrating government institutions and manipulating those who are supposed to maintain law and order.

In Ecuador, UNODC is jointly working on initiatives framed by capacity building for judicial independence, integrity and ethics, open justice, and especially on channels for reporting possible acts of corruption and whistleblower protection mechanisms.

These efforts make it possible to identify specific risks at the institutional and individual level, proposing specific recommendations and an action plan to address the identified risks that enable us to strengthen capacities and prevent, from a comprehensive framework, any act of corruption.

Although Ecuador and the entire region are taking important measures to speed up the implementation of the Convention, a real and shared commitment is needed today to support the adoption of common measures that promote and strengthen international cooperation. (OR)

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