The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) has unanimously adopted in Geneva a resolution proposed by Morocco on the harmful impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights.
Supported by Morocco, in collaboration with Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Poland, and the UK, the resolution calls for a human rights-based approach in all anti-corruption efforts.
Presenting the text on behalf of the group of co-sponsors, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Omar Zniber, stressed that "corruption undermines social cohesion, erodes trust in institutions, fuels inequality, and enables serious human rights violations." "By hindering access to essential services, it undermines social cohesion, erodes trust in public institutions, exacerbates inequalities, and creates fertile ground for the most serious human rights violations," he said.
The diplomat stated that the fight against corruption must be part of a human rights-based approach, a conviction that Morocco defends both internationally and in its domestic policy.
He recalled that the 2011 Constitution made this fight a national priority with the creation of the National Authority for Integrity, Prevention, and the Fight against Corruption, as well as the adoption of strengthened legal frameworks and laws guaranteeing access to public information.
The resolution, adopted at the 59th session of the HRC, which runs until July 9, is a continuation of the work undertaken by the Council's Advisory Committee since the publication of its first report in 2015. It mandates the Committee to conduct an in-depth study on the procedural and substantive obligations of states in the protection of human rights in the context of the fight against corruption.
According to Zniber, this initiative is in line with the commitments made at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development. "Transparency, accountability, the rule of law, good governance, and the fight against corruption are essential to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals," he added.
"The adoption of this resolution by consensus sends a clear message: fighting corruption is inseparable from protecting human rights," the diplomat concluded.
MAP: 07 July 2025
