A10 : Corruption & Transparency

Corruption, the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, weakens democracies, hampers economic development, and exacerbates inequality and poverty.
United Nations figures indicate that corruption costs the global economy $3.6 trillion each year. Global proceeds from criminal activities are estimated at between $1 trillion and $1.6 trillion per year. The amount of money lost globally through corruption is equal to the total amount needed to successfully implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
In April 2021, the Commonwealth Secretariat published the Commonwealth Anti-Corruption Benchmarks which offer a comprehensive roadmap to reduce corruption across 25 areas of public and commercial life. They offer a robust set of recommendations and good practices brought together as an interlocking identification, prevention and reporting system designed to significantly reduce the risk of corruption in the public and private sectors.
In this session we will explore how corruption can be exposed and how the corrupt can be held accountable. Transparency helps us, as private citizens and as lawyers, to hold all power to account for the common good and to fight and eradicate corruption, Transparency requires us to ensure that information is available, easily accessible, and understood by citizens by shedding light on formal and informal rules, plans, processes, and actions. How can we embrace it?