We, the G7 ministers, recognize that corruption is an urgent global challenge. As the United Nations Convention against Corruption notes, corruption threatens the stability and security of societies, undermining the institutions and values ​​of democracy, ethical values ​​and justice, and endangering sustainable development and social security. rule of law. Corruption presents serious threats to individuals and societies and often enables other forms of crime, including organized crime and economic crime, including money laundering. These threats have been reinforced by COVID-19. As the world continues to recover, it is essential that we do not allow corruption to threaten our efforts to better rebuild and address global challenges, especially the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

We look forward to the G7 ministerial meeting in September this year, where there will be a discussion on our joint efforts to fight corruption.

Corruption is a challenge facing all countries. Its effects are felt at local, national and global levels and it is our common and shared responsibility to act. As the G7, we defend an open society, with a strong civil society and free media. We are convinced that these actors are crucial in preventing and combating corruption. Thus, our aim is to recognize the role of civil society and free media and to promote their freedom and protection in the UNGASS declaration. We recognize that progress will catalyze prosperity, security and development.

G7 foreign ministers pledged to work collectively to strengthen the foundations of open societies and protect against threats, including corruption, illicit financing and the closure of civic space. In this regard, we reaffirm the fundamental role of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and its supporting bodies in the global fight against corruption. It is the only universal legally binding instrument on corruption, negotiated on the basis of consensus. The Convention is the cornerstone of our international anti-corruption framework. It is an integral part of the international anti-corruption architecture which, when fully and effectively implemented, will fight corruption vigorously.

We fully support the objectives of this special session of the General Assembly against corruption to address the challenges and take measures to prevent, detect, prosecute and punish corruption more effectively and strengthen international cooperation.

We welcome the adoption of the action-oriented political declaration and are committed to achieving its goals. Given our international responsibilities, we, as the G7, recognize the need to step up our efforts to prevent and combat corruption by leading by example. We must continue to make real progress on this issue. We will ensure a solid and effective implementation of UNGASS commitments. To this end, we are committed to:

1. Prevention: As the G7, we will ensure that strong measures are in place to prevent corruption and other forms of illicit financing in order to protect our financial centers and deny safe haven to the proceeds of crime. We will support the efforts of other countries to do the same, including anti-corruption safeguards and transparency mechanisms in the delivery of humanitarian aid to ensure that aid, needed in natural disasters and others. emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, reach the intended beneficiaries. . We also reaffirm our commitment to put in place measures that promote transparency in the beneficial ownership of legal persons. We further commit to promoting the effective implementation of the standards of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global standards body for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.

2. Transparency: Comprising many of the world’s most open societies, we note that improving transparency benefits citizens and societies and is the foundation upon which effective anti-corruption efforts are built. As such, we reaffirm our commitment to implement measures providing a high degree of transparency in governance, including measures aimed at improving transparency in public procurement and transparency of the supply chain in the private sector. In accordance with our legal obligations, we will protect and promote access to information for all citizens, including civil society organizations, the media and journalists.

3. Law Enforcement Cooperation / Criminalization:
   a. Transnational Bribery: As major centers of private enterprise, we are committed to actively enforcing our domestic and foreign bribery laws and ensuring the effective implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and urge all G20 countries to do the same. We recognize the positive impact that encouraging strong compliance by private sector companies can have on the goal of effectively preventing corruption. We also recognize the corrosive effect of soliciting bribes and call for greater preventive action, including awareness and training.

   b. Denial of Safe Harbor: As some of our financial centers and industries may attract corrupt actors and the proceeds of crime, we are committed to strengthening international cooperation to deny safe haven to corrupt individuals and their ill-gotten gains, including through the sharing of funds. information, and the appropriate use of visa sanctions and restrictions.

4. International Cooperation and Technical Assistance (TA): Like many of the world’s largest donors, we recognize the role of official development assistance and are committed to using our programs effectively to build capacity and provide timely technical assistance, sustainable, adequate and efficient that meets needs. We call on our partner countries to take the lead in coordinating technical assistance at the national level, including by publishing the needs identified by the implementation review mechanism, involving all relevant stakeholders and integrating gender in program analysis and implementation.

5. Civil society (including the protection of journalists and the role of the media): We are committed to upholding the role of civil society and media freedom as an essential element in the maintenance of democracy and the rights of the man in the world. We condemn all attacks on those who work to speak out against corruption, including journalists, civil society and individual whistleblowers, and we pledge to support and protect those who speak out against and fight corruption.

6. Asset Recovery: As the headquarters of several of the world’s major financial centers and as recipients of some of the highest volumes of MLA requests in the world, we renew our commitment to fight money laundering related foreign corruption and effectively recover the proceeds of crime, in particular the proceeds of money laundering. We further stress the importance of ensuring that confiscated stolen assets, once returned, are returned in a transparent and accountable manner, within the framework of the UNCAC, which ultimately benefits those harmed by corruption. We will encourage and support international cooperation between relevant law enforcement agencies, including in asset recovery.

7. Rule of law and fundamental freedoms: we recognize that the fight against corruption must be based on respect for the rule of law, support for democratic governance, fundamental freedoms and human rights, including human rights due process for those accused and wanted for corruption. The rule of law is an essential element in achieving sustainability, tackling abuse of power and fostering an environment necessary to effectively achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda.

8. Implementation of conventions and other anti-corruption initiatives: As global leaders in the fight against corruption, we recognize the importance of international and regional conventions and other initiatives to combat corruption and stress our individual responsibility and collective to intensify our efforts for their effective implementation.
   a. Commit to consulting civil society in our country reviews and promoting their inclusion as observers in the subsidiary bodies of the UNCAC and the Conference of the States Parties.
   b. Call on all countries reviewed by the UNCAC to publish their comprehensive national reports on the UNCAC and invite contributions from a wide range of stakeholders.
   vs. Support UNODC to prepare a comprehensive report on the implementation of the UNCAC by Member States, after completion of the current review phase, and report its findings to the COSP.
   re. Support the effective implementation of regional anti-corruption frameworks and FATF standards, including their compliance review mechanisms.
   e. Urge those who have not ratified the UNCAC to join the 187 other states parties that have.

We strongly reiterate the importance of strong and unified leadership in the fight against corruption. We look forward to relevant upcoming processes for close cooperation with other stakeholders such as the United States Democracy Summit and the 10th Anniversary Summit of the Open Government Partnership in South Korea and the UK Presidency of the G7. to build on these commitments. We are committed to working within these forums, as well as through the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group, to continue advancing this important agenda.