Humanity Care: UPGs and SDGs 6

Global Integration Updates Special News--December 2019 View this email in your browser

Global Integration Updates Common Ground for the Common Good  Build the world we need--Be the people we need Special News--December 2019 Peace, Justice, Inclusion and Strong Institutions Updates on Sustainable Development Goal 16+ HERE is the link for the full Update Advances in ending violence, promoting the rule of law, strengthening institutions and increasing access to justice are uneven and continue to deprive millions of their security, rights and opportunities and undermine the delivery of public services and broader economic development. Attacks on civil society are also holding back development progress. Renewed efforts are essential to move towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 16. Progress on the SDGs: Report of the Secretary-General, UN (paragraph 37, July 2019) ---------- In this Update we focus on Sustainable Development Goal 16+ (SDG 16+). SDG16+ includes additional Targets from seven other 17 SDGs and hence provides a broader framework for peace, justice, and inclusive societies.  It is seen to be "an enabler and accelerator" for all the SDGs. We feature four recent resources-reports which collectively describe the good news and bad news about progress, and the challenges of measuring progress,  on the SDG 16+ and its Targets. They are: --The SDG Report 2019, United Nations (2019) --SDG Tracker, Goal 16, Our World in Data (2019) --Implementation of the 2030 Agenda through SDG 16+, Global Alliance (2019) --SDG 16+ Progress Report, Institute for Economics and Peace (2019) We encourage you to look over the summaries in the above materials (we orient you below using blue highlights). And then go deeper as you have time and interest. It is not necessarily exciting reading, yet we think it is essential reading to inform and impact our work across sectors, countries, and SDGs. We finish with some brief reflections on "fulfilling our political and moral responsibilities" in the efforts to realize the SDGs. This includes prioritizing both social transformation and personal transformation, confronting corruption along with developing integrity, and encouraging faith-based efforts in SDG efforts and vice versa. See also: --Peace and Security  (resources on our MCA website) --Integrity and Accountability for UN Staff, UN Special (March 2017, April 2017) --9 December: International Anti-Corruption Day --10 December: Human Rights Day Warm greetings from Geneva, Kelly and Michèle       --Share your comments and resources on our MCA Facebook page --Send us your ideas and resources for future GI Updates  MCAresources@gmail.com HERE is the link for the full Update

Global Integrity 23

International Anti-Corruption Day

Moral Wholeness for a Whole World

Logo for International Anti-Corruption Day 2016
Now in its 14th year

Integrity is moral wholeness—living consistently in moral wholeness. Its opposite is corruption, the distortion, perversion, and deterioration of moral goodness, resulting in the exploitation of people. Global integrity is moral wholeness at all levels in our world—from the individual to the institutional to the international. Global integrity is requisite for “building the future we want—being the people we need.” It is not easy, it is not always black and white, and it can be risky. These entries explore the many facets of integrity with a view towards the global efforts to promote sustainable development and wellbeing.

*****

Today, 9 December, is the UN—and the world community’s—International Anti-Corruption Day. It is a good day (and impetus) to reflect on how each of us can prevent and fight corruption as well as how each of us can cultivate integrity in our spheres of influence, starting with ourselves. The theme this year is “Unite Against Corruption” and it is a tangible expression of Sustainble Development Goal 16 (SDG 16) with its cross-cutting emphases on strong institutions, good governance, peaceful societies, and anti-corruption.

Just as important for the realization of SDG 16 and any effort to confront corruption is the commitment to “Unite for Integrity.” So perhaps it is time for a UN Global Integrity Day. More information about International Anti-Corruption Day is on the official UN site: http://www.anticorruptionday.org/

"Corruption is an issue that affects all countries around the world. It can refer to the destruction of one’s honesty or loyalty through undermining moral integrity or acting in a way that shows a lack of integrity or honesty. It also refers to those who use a position of power or trust for dishonest gain. Corruption undermines democracy, creates unstable governments, and sets countries back economically. Corruption comes in various forms such as bribery, law-breaking without dealing with the consequences in a fair manner, unfairly amending election processes and results, and covering mistakes or silencing whistleblowers (those who expose corruption in hope that justice would be served)."

"By resolution 58/4 of October 31, 2003, the UN General Assembly designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day. This decision aimed to raise people’s awareness of corruption and of the role of the United Nations Convention against Corruption in combating and preventing it. The assembly urged all states and competent regional economic integration organizations to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to ensure its rapid entry into force. UNCAC is the first legally binding, international anti-corruption instrument that provides a chance to mount a global response to corruption." Source: http://www.timeanddate.com

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/international-anti-corruption-day

Global Integrity 11

Pro-Integrity

Moral wholeness for a whole world

We cannot talk about corruption without also talking about its antidote: integrity.

Integrity is moral wholeness—living consistently in moral wholeness. Its opposite is corruption, the distortion, perversion, and deterioration of moral goodness, resulting in the exploitation of people. Global integrity is moral wholeness at all levels in our world—from the individual to the institutional to the international. Global integrity is requisite for “building the future we want—being the people we need.” It is not easy, it is not always black and white, and it can be risky. These entries explore the many facets of integrity with a view towards the global efforts to promote sustainable development and wellbeing.

*****

Excerpt from the Global Declaration Against Corruption

(Anti-Corruption Summit: London 2016, 12 May 2016)

“Corruption is at the heart of so many of the world’s problems. We must overcome it, if our efforts to end poverty, promote prosperity and defeat terrorism and extremism are to succeed. Today’s Summit has demonstrated the deep commitment of a significant number of countries, businesses and members of civil society to work together to tackle this scourge. To do this we will build on and implement existing international agreements – but also go much further, making this a top priority at home and abroad and building capacity to tackle the problem. We commit to expose corruption wherever it is found, to pursue and punish those who perpetrate, facilitate or are complicit in it, to support the communities who have suffered from it, and to ensure it does not fester in our government institutions, businesses and communities. We will fulfil our shared commitment to ‘substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms’ [as stated in Sustainable Development Goal 16]."

Pro-integrity is a synonym for anti-corruption. It is also the antidote for corruption. It would be great if our anti-corruption efforts everywhere would include this term and prioritize it as a practice.

Corruption lies at the heart of every human (and not only at the heart of the world’s problems as per the quote above). This is a message that must be clearly acknowledged and shared. Without it, anti-corruption efforts miss the primary, predisposing, precipitating, and reinforcing causes of corruption. 

Likewise, the capacity for integrity resides in the heart of every human. This too must be emphasized. We cannot  talk about corruption without also talking about its antidote: integrity. To be anti-corruption is to be pro-integrity.

Watch the archive of the London Summit here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsla0NoYXoM

Applications

--List a few ways to explicitly link pro-integrity with the anti-corruption discourse and efforts.

--How could this linkage be done in your settings and spheres of influence?