Ambassador
Ambassador's Speech
REMARKS BY AMBASSADOR EARL ANTHONY WAYNE AT CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
November 27, 2006
Good evening. It is a pleasure to be here to mark the conclusion of this year's course on fighting corruption and strengthening the rule of law. Curbing corruption is absolutely essential to building strong democratic institutions, ensuring good governance, and stimulating economic growth.
I want to acknowledge Dr. Manfroni for his leadership in this field and Course Director Dr. Costa Aguilar for another successful academic year.
The fight against corruption is never-ending and requires constant vigilance and creativity just to stay one step ahead of those who would try to undermine effective governance. In recent years, the U.S. and the Group of 8 industrialized countries have been developing new ways to deny corrupt officials access to the wealth they have accumulated and have been using new means to target their assets. This is an example of the kind of cooperation that will be required to implement truly effective anti-corruption strategies at the international level.
At the local level, basic strategies for confronting corruption are well known. They include:
1. Vigorously prosecuting corruption at all levels. This sends the clearest signal possible that politics is NOT the art of enriching oneself.
2. Institutionalizing transparency in government. Sunlight and fresh air are natural disinfectants.
3. Making sure elected officials are held accountable to their constituents. Politicians are more likely to behave responsibly if they know voters will kick them out or they will be subject to judicial sanctions if they break the public trust.
4. Building an impartial, professional, and apolitical judiciary. Nothing mocks democracy more than a creaky, corrupt justice system.
5. Strengthening law enforcement. Public safety is a crucial function of government. This also requires investing the resources to assure police officers are well-paid, equipped and trained.
The USG considers the fight against corruption and judicial reform a priority. Throughout Latin America, we have provided program assistance on a broad range of topics ranging from legal code reform and anti-corruption to conflict resolution and trial by jury.
President Bush’s Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) initiative represents a new way of providing assistance to other countries. Only countries that govern justly and honestly, uphold the rule of law, fight corruption, invest in their people, and promote economic freedom get assistance.
More specifically in Argentina, we have worked closely over the last decade with the Argentine government and NGOs to strengthen the judicial system. Our programming in the area of administration of justice has shown demonstrable outcomes in the areas of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), judicial training, and court administration, among others. ADR mechanisms have been implemented in various provinces, training of judges has been improved, and training and technical assistance are now available to judges and courts. In addition we have seen moves towards tightening up Argentine money laundering laws.
On the specific issue of the fight against corruption, we have provided funding not only for the program here at UCA, but this year, we also funded scholarships for students to attend a course at the University of Buenos Aires on the OAS Inter-American Convention against Corruption, the first such regional instrument in combating corruption.
The work of universities and academic centers that examine corruption in a society also serve a very useful purpose because you diffuse knowledge about a complicated and often gray area. The research and teaching you do expand peoples' knowledge and makes them more aware of how corruption affects us all. And before any action can take place, there must first be awareness.
Corruption is a key factor in preventing people from escaping poverty. Corruption means shady business, dirty water, unsafe medicines, and social exclusion. It means new roads, hospitals and schools don’t get built, while some kleptocrat gets rich. It means people’s aspirations for a better life never materialize, at the cost of their faith in democracy and democratic institutions.
Corruption is an urgent matter that we ignore at our risk. It is a challenge for all societies, my own included. I want to thank you for the contributions you are making at this university to combating corruption and to reaching out to others who work in the field. And I thank you for your invitation to come and join you here tonight.