17th IACC

Increasingly, civil society around the world recognizes the link between corruption and human rights abuse. In countries where the State acts with impunity to quell dissent, its enforcers silence those who object to the illicit conversion of public resources into private wealth. In such political environments, whistleblowers are especially endangered: they are single individuals inside corrupt and violent regimes. Navi Pillay, the former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, argued in 2013 that corruption is an enormous obstacle in the path of protection of human rights.

The data from Freedom House and from Transparency International show broad convergence when identifying countries where repression and/or corruption are prevalent. Moreover, Amnesty International reports that the United Nations, which fights both human rights abuse through the Office of the High Commissioner and corruption through the UN Convention Against Corruption, has lost ability to act effectively in combatting kleptocracy and abuse.

Free speech advocates on the panel will explore the relationship between corruption and human rights abuses, and the declining ability of the United Nations to act impartially to address either problem. Panelists will review the commitments made by the UN, as well as the reverses it has suffered. Together their presentations will show that strong whistleblower protections and freedom of speech are needed to stop human rights abuse and combat corruption effectively.

Objectives of the Workshop
1. Explicitly demonstrate the close relationship between human rights abuse and grand corruption.
2. Identify policies and legal measures (such as whistleblower protections and transparency guarantees) that can address both issues.