Business can and must make a difference in the fight against corruption

Today we mark the 15th anniversary of the Adoption of the UN Convention against Corruption. What has changed since then? Is there more corruption, more misbehavior in the world? Indicators like the Corruption Perception Index do not give a clear answer. Today, there is much more transparency as the world has become connected through the internet and the rise of social media. We have to keep in mind that 15 years ago there was no iPhone and no Twitter. And even Facebook was founded a couple of months after the Convention against Corruption was adopted.

Today more than 2.5 billion people are connected worldwide through social media networks, exchanging messages, pictures and news. If you search for #corruption you will get hundreds of tweets every day. A Google search on corruption results in more than 55 million search hits, only slightly less than the search term “World Cup.” Why do I mention this? The digitally connected world and the social media reach could lead to the impression that there is even more corruption. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know it is more difficult for bad actors to hide. And this is positive.

But there is a flip side of this coin. There is a risk that fake news and the misuse of social media lead to premature decisions and judgments. We need to be aware of this risk and remind ourselves that the rule of law is of paramount importance in fighting corruption.

This fight can only be effective if all stakeholders join forces. That means in particular a close cooperation and partnership of the public and the private sector. I am very honored to be part of this most important High Level Debate of the UN General Assembly to mark the 15th anniversary of UNCAC as a representative of the private sector.

I am speaking on behalf of a company which employs around 380,000 employees from all member states of the United Nations. I represent a company, Siemens, which lived through a major corruption scandal more than ten years ago and made a clear commitment to fight corruption going forward.

Are we perfect? No. Can a big organization - private or public - ever be totally immune against misconduct? I believe no. But I also strongly believe that we as a business can and must make a difference in the fight against corruption: A clear tone from the top, effective Compliance systems and collaboration with public sector and civil society.

To be effective, we need ongoing dialogue and acknowledgement for our efforts. Voluntary self disclosure by companies of internally detected misconduct and compliance efforts must be rewarded. Because it would be a severe mistake to punish companies that effectively detect corruption in order to be transparent and honest - and to protect by this behavior the ones that are silent about their problems. This honesty in the discussion is of utmost importance. We expect International institutions, NGOs, journalists etc. to support this approach. If not, hiding issues will be rewarded.

Living and enforcing this collaboration between all the stakeholders can be a game changer in the fight against corruption, I am grateful to the UN and its Convention to be a driver of such a collaboration.