ambassador Marquardt's speeches

Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Niels Marquardt

Implementing the United Nations Convention against Corruption

As delivered,
December 6, 2006

His Excellency the Prime Minister, honorable Ministers, Fellow Ambassadors, and distinguished guests:

Good morning, and thank you for giving me and other development partners the opportunity to participate in the opening session of this important forum.  I appreciate the openness of the Cameroonian government in inviting us to get in on the ground floor of this important project.  The presence here today of the entire government is very encouraging.

I would also like to salute the role of the United Nations, and specifically the country representative, for their support and leadership.  I believe this workshop will help focus and facilitate the Cameroonian conversation about how Cameroon will move forward to implement its obligations and commitments as a party to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for the determined leadership you have shown in meeting this challenge of corruption.  One speaks often these days of the concept of “Ownership.”  There is no question that, on this issue, ownership lies squarely where it belongs – at the highest levels of the Government of Cameroon, with the head of State and the head of Government.   This ownership, and your leadership, are key to your success, and to tapping the full support of the international community.

My country recently ratified this Convention, some months after Cameroon did so.  I take Cameroon’s early ratification of the Convention, along with this seminar, as strong indicators of the government’s commitment to make progress against this daunting challenge.

I say “daunting” because we Americans know all too well the insidious nature of official corruption.  In just this past year, two Congressmen—including my own—and a number of other American officials have been sent to prison for their complicity in corrupt acts.  Our election last month was, in many respects, a referendum on corruption.  The American people overwhelming said that had had enough.  So it is, I believe, in Cameroon.

The American experience is further proof that the “total war on corruption,” as President Biya has termed it, is in fact never-ending.  The Government of Cameroon, the people, the media, the police, civil society, the judiciary—all segments of society—must remain fully committed to rooting out corruption wherever and whenever it rears it head.

That is why this session is so important.  It allows the Government to begin formulating a comprehensive strategy, in the context of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, for how it will ensure that its war on corruption does not falter.

The Cameroonian military would not fight a war without first having a strategy; the Indomitable Lions would not enter a championship match without first establishing a game plan.  Likewise, the Government should ensure that its anti-corruption efforts are not piecemeal or fragmented, but that all activities are part of a cohesive whole.

The Convention spells out four main areas of endeavor against corruption:  Prevention, Criminalization, Asset Recovery, and International Cooperation.  All are important, and all are necessary, but I would submit that prevention is the most important.  We see today in Cameroon a lively discussion about arrests, trials, and the desire for asset recovery.  All of these activities are necessary and important, but they are also expensive, difficult, slow, and not always successful.  I would submit that the main key to success in this war lies in prevention.  

With your indulgence, I would draw a simple analogy between fighting corruption and having an automobile.  Changing your car’s oil, filters, and spark plugs regularly is cheap, quick, and effective.  Maintenance prevents major breakdowns that can be costly and even catastrophic.  So it is with corruption:  laws, institutions, and procedures that eliminate the human temptation to corruption are far more effective than trials and other efforts to get the money back after it has been stolen, or to imprison people who might still be in public service had they not succumbed to the temptation of corruption.

So I encourage the government in its efforts to implement Article 66 of the constitution, and to develop other institutional approaches that will stop corruption before it occurs.   
All of these things must be part of a concerted effort, a strategy to ensure that the “total war on corruption” becomes a permanent component of Cameroon’s government and society.

When the United States signed the UN Convention Against Corruption almost three years ago, the United States Attorney General, our equivalent of the Minister of Justice, said:
“This document is not enough.  It must not become an empty symbolic gesture.  Our governments must translate the words of this convention into effective actions.”

That is why we are here today.  In closing let me assure you that the United States remains committed to working with the Government of Cameroon to help translate words and intentions into effective actions and institutions, to be sure that this Convention does not become an empty symbolic gesture.

Thank you again for your continued engagement on this important issue, and for the opportunity to work together for a corruption-free Cameroon.