Analysis of 169 targets under SDGs (143)
The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development covers 17 goals, the 16th of which is “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”, namely: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
Under this major goal, there are 12 targets, the 16.5 of which is “By 2030, substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms across all countries.”
●Current Situation
The World
New progress in international anti-corruption cooperation
The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) showed that corruption is rampant around the world.
The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories around the globe by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, scoring on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very integrity). Over two-thirds of countries score below 50 out of 100, which strongly indicates that they have serious corruption problems. The global average is stuck at only 43, while the vast majority of countries have made no progress or declined in the last decade.
Photo: Transparency International
For the sixth year in a row, Denmark heads the ranking, with a score of 90. Finland and New Zealand follow closely with scores of 87 and 85, respectively. Norway (84), Singapore (83), Sweden (82), Switzerland (82), the Netherlands (79), Germany (78) and Luxembourg (78) complete the top 10 in 2023.
Countries experiencing conflict or with highly restricted freedoms and weak democratic institutions tend to score the worst. In 2023, Somalia (11), Venezuela (13), Syria (13) and South Sudan (13) are at the bottom of the index.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Nazaha) jointly launched a new global initiative for measuring corruption at the helm of the 10th Session of the Conference of the States Parties (CoSP10) to the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), hosted by the United States Government in Atlanta from December 11 to 15. UNDP will implement this multi-year 2023-2027 initiative in support of ‘Nazaha's Global Initiative on the Measurement of Corruption’, with financial support from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The objective of this new partnership is to strengthen efforts to foster international cooperation to fight corruption and enable countries to track and monitor progress in tackling corruption.
Source: Transparency International, UNDP
China
Pushing forward the fight against corruption
In 2023, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission highlighted the fight against corruption in key areas, resolutely cleaned up industry-wide, systemic, and regional corruption with high risks and hidden dangers, increased punishment on corruption in state-owned enterprises, colleges and universities, sports, tobacco and other fields, deepened the special rectification of corruption in the field of grain purchase and sales, and cooperated in the special rectification of statistical fraud and the national concentrated rectification of corruption in the medical field.
In the first three quarters of 2023, the discipline inspection and supervision agencies nationwide booked 12,000 bribers and transferred 2,365 bribers to procuratorates, forming a strong deterrent.
From January to November 2023, the “Net of Heaven 2023” operation recovered a total of 1,278 fugitives and 2.912 billion yuan in stolen money. Key cross-border corruption cases were investigated and handled with concentrated efforts, which recovered more than 10.2 billion yuan in stolen money.
At the same time, China has been deeply involved in global anti-corruption governance, actively built an anti-corruption partnership network, and participated in the construction of an international anti-corruption governance system.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
●Cases
The World
FEPA beefs up U.S. anti-bribery enforcement
The Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA), which U.S. President Biden signed into law on December 22, 2023, criminalizes the solicitation or acceptance of bribes from American companies or individuals, or by any person while in the United States.
The new FEPA, which criminalizes the “demand” side of bribery, has significant implications for U.S. companies operating around the globe. FEPA complements the FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act), which targets only the “supply” side of bribery – those who offer or pay bribes to foreign officials.
Photo: Transparency International
FEPA’s passage will likely alter the Department of Justice’s reporting expectations and enforcement priorities and necessitate that companies re-examine anti-corruption risk, as well as anti-corruption policies and procedures.
FEPA may provide U.S. companies operating internationally with much-needed leverage against bribe-seeking foreign officials because of the potential severity of violations. FEPA violations carry a possibility of 15 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000 or three times the value of the bribe, whichever is greater. FEPA also requires the Attorney General to submit an annual enforcement report.
Source: Forbes, DENTONS
China
Two sentenced to prison for bribing foreign government staff
On October 24, 2023, the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court of Guangdong Province publicly sentenced Xi Zhengbing, former deputy general manager of the International Business Department of China Railway Tunnel Group Co., Ltd., and Zhou Zhonghe, former deputy director of the same department, for bribing foreign public officials.
Xi was sentenced to 2 years in prison with a fine of 100,000 yuan for bribing foreign government staff. He was also sentenced to 4 years in prison with a fine of 200,000 yuan for accepting bribes. In total, he will serve 5 years in prison and get a fine of 300,000 yuan.
Zhou was sentenced to 2 years in prison with a fine of 100,000 yuan for bribing foreign government staff.
Photo: China Central Television News
The court found that from 2017 to 2019, Xi, the general manager of the Singapore branch of China Railway Tunnel Group Co., Ltd., and Zhou, the company’s deputy general manager, bribed Singaporean government staff three times, paying 220,000 Singapore dollars, to seek improper business interests.
Xi also sought benefits for others in project contracting and payment settlement in China from 2003 to 2009 and illegally accepted 1.92 million yuan in property from others.
Source: China Central Television News
Intensive crackdown on corruption in the medical sector
In June 2024, the General Office of the State Council issued the “Key Tasks for Deepening the Reform of the Medical and Health System in 2024”. It mentioned that comprehensive supervision in the medical and health field should be strengthened.
China will do a solid job in the concentrated rectification of corruption in the medical field across the country, deepen the reform of the system and mechanism, strengthen the construction of clean government, and continue to promote full-chain, full-factor, and full-coverage governance.
China will carry out the verification of high-cost and abnormal-cost cases. The use of penetrating supervision will be explored to improve the supervision effect. China will study and issue compliance guidelines for pharmaceutical companies to prevent commercial bribery.
China will improve the working mechanism of medical insurance fund flight inspections and establish a “look back” mechanism. Policies will be formulated to promote and regulate the development of private hospitals.
Source: Xinhua News Agency, gov.cn
●Background
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiated by the United Nations
On January 1, 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including 169 targets, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit — officially came into force. Countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities, and tackle climate change while ensuring that no one is left behind.
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