Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ

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:

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 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Convention against Corruption is an opportunity to do just that¡ªto build on ¨C and evolve ¨C 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¡ªShaping Tomorrow¡¯s Integrity¡ªis a call to action.

To translate pledges into concrete steps.

Strengthen oversight.

Protect whistleblowers.

And harness technology for transparency¡ªnot exploitation.

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