Cameron will tell his G7 counterparts that corruption is the arch-enemy of democracy and development…reports Asian Lite News. The prime minister will say: At international summits, leaders meet to talk about aid, economic growth and how to keep our people safe. But we just don’t talk enough about corruption. This has got to change. We have to show some of the same courage that exposed Fifa and break the taboo on talking about corruption.
British Prime Minister David Cameron will warn world leaders at the two-day G7 summit that starts in Germany tomorrow that the Fifa bribery scandal must be a trigger for international action against corruption, British media reported.
The UK prime minister will join US President Barack Obama, French President Francois Hollande, Italian PM Matteo Renzi, Canadian PM Stephen Harper and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe for the two-day G7 summit, hosted at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps by Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The prime minister will say the Fifa scandal has shown how focusing on an organisation can provide the impetus for cleaning-up operations.
“In the last fortnight we have seen the stark truth about Fifa. The body governing football has faced appalling allegations that suggests it is absolutely riddled with corruption. And Blatter’s resignation this week presents an opportunity to clean up the game we love. It is also an opportunity to learn a broader lesson about tackling corruption,” he will say. “Just as with Fifa, we know the problem is there, but there is something of an international taboo over pointing the finger and stirring up concerns.”
The prime minister will cite World Bank estimates that corruption adds 10% to business costs worldwide, with the equivalent of one trillion US dollars (£650bn) paid in bribes every year.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) believes corruption costs about 5% of global GDP annually, while in developing countries it can add 25% to the cost of procurement, Mr Cameron will say.
Seven of the 10 countries considered to be the most corrupt in sub-Saharan Africa are also in the bottom 10 on the human development index and infant mortality is twice as high in countries with the most corruption as in those with the least.
Cameron’s intervention comes amid fears that the US investigation that has led to 47 racketeering charges against 18 football officials could lead to international tensions, with a Russia-led coalition ranged against the west. The FBI is looking into the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.
Before meetings with Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and other major country leaders, Cameron will say: “Corruption is the arch-enemy of democracy and development. At international summits, leaders meet to talk about aid, economic growth and how to keep our people safe. But we just don’t talk enough about corruption. This has got to change. We have to show some of the same courage that exposed Fifa and break the taboo on talking about corruption.
“Corruption is the cancer at the heart of so many of the problems we face around the world today. It doesn’t just threaten our prosperity, it also undermines our security.
“Football is beginning a long journey to rid itself of corruption and it will take time, courage and determination to see through the reforms that Fifa needs. I believe world leaders must show the same courage and determination to tackle corruption around the globe,” the prime minister said.
Cameron is examining how anti-corruption targets for the G7 countries can be included with more traditional measures of success such as fighting infant mortality. The G7 has long seen one of its roles as fighting corruption, but commitments to act in communiques do not always lead to visible action.