Washington, September 4, 2018 - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a cooperation agreement with the Organization of American States (OAS) to fight corruption in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, and the members of the Joint Summits Working Group, which is composed of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Bank, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), the Caribbean Development Bank, the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The agreement focuses on the fight against corruption in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, and to facilitate and create effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels (SDG 16).

"We must respond directly to a phenomenon that weakens the confidence of citizens and hinders compliance with the 2030 Agenda and a series of commitments on which our democracies are based. This agreement seals the commitment of our institutions to continue working together," said Secretary General Almagro.

In recent years, the region experienced solid increase in laws and institutions that promote transparency and accountability in the public sector. But according to Transparency International, more than half of people in the region feel their government is doing badly at fighting corruption.

“Corruption attacks the foundation of democracy in unprecedent ways, it corrodes public trust in government institutions, undermines the rule of law, impairs the system checks and balance and contributes to violence and insecurity in the region. UNDP is proud to join OAS, other UN agencies and organizations to re-affirm its commitment to fight corruption”, said Richard Barathe, UNDP’s Director of the Regional Hub in Latin America and the Caribbean.