Experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) are in the country to assess the progress of the Ombudsman’s office in its fight against corruption in the country. According to the Deputy Ombudsman Augustin Nzindukiyimana, the experts who are in the country together with others from Poland and Burkina Faso, are on the assessment drive to see the progress in the 29 countries that make up The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCC) which operates under UNODC. The UNCC is the first legally binding international anti-corruption instrument and it provides a unique opportunity for mounting a global response to a global problem. “Rwanda became signatory to this convention because Africa was lagging behind in this cause since it was only Tanzania that was in this group of countries,” Nzindukiyimana told The New Times. “Rwanda accepted and joined at the same time with Burkina Faso last year in August.” Nzindukiyimana says that Burkina Faso and Poland were given the mandate to assess Rwanda in the organisation’s assessment drive on anti-corruption. Rwanda in return, will assess Burkina Faso in partnership with Greece. The head of the UNODC delegation, ElsGopala Krishnan, said that UNODC provides an opportunity to develop a global language about corruption and a coherent implementation strategy. She added that although a multitude of international anti-corruption agreements exist, their implementation has been uneven and only moderately successful. This Convention therefore gives the global community the opportunity to address both of those weaknesses and begin establishing an effective set of benchmarks for effective anti-corruption strategies. During their stay, the delegation is expected to visit various institutions in the country. Ends
