Remarks by the President of the General Assembly H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock at the Official Opening of the 11th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN[...]

For information only - not an official document

UNIS/CP/1193
15 December 2025

15 December 2025

[As delivered]

Corruption is not an abstract or victimless crime.

Its has real, measurable consequences for people.

When building codes are bypassed through corrupt shortcuts, unsafe structures rise and then collapse, resulting in lives lost.

When corporate bribery spreads unabated, wealth is siphoned to a privileged few, while economies grow uneven, unstable and bereft of public trust.

And when corruption infects the legal system, cases are mishandled, justice is delayed or denied, and victims are silenced.

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Preventing and ultimately eradicating corruption is a duty we share.

We owe it to the people we serve.

Thankfully, we are not starting from scratch:

• In the UN Convention against Corruption, Member States vowed to promote and strengthen measures to combat corruption;
• At the 2021 special session of the General Assembly against corruption, world leaders agreed to reinforce international cooperation;
• Most recently, the Pact for the Future highlighted that tackling corruption is essential to reducing inequalities and closing development gaps;
• And in the Declaration on Future Generations, Member States affirmed that the systems and institutions we leave for future generations must reflect our highest values, not our narrowest interests.

Yet as our world continues to change rapidly we need to update and adapt our approaches.

New technologies, for example, have allowed financial corruption to cross borders seamlessly and criminal networks to evade detection.

To tackle and dismantle these crimes, our regulatory frameworks and technological guardrails must be equally agile.

This 11th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption is an opportunity to do just that-to build on - and evolve - our common commitments to prevent corruption.

It is an opportunity to reinforce public trust and strengthen institutions and governance.

Excellencies,

The theme of this session-Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity-is a call to action.

To translate pledges into concrete steps.

Strengthen oversight.

Protect whistleblowers.

And harness technology for transparency-not exploitation.

If we act with determination, tomorrow's integrity will be within reach-for our societies today, and for the generations that will inherit the systems we build.

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