In an international context increasingly aware of corruption’s harmful effects, this event builds on the work of the Human Rights Council, particularly resolution 59/6 adopted in July 2025. That resolution enshrines the now widely shared idea that the fight against corruption and the protection of fundamental rights are intrinsically linked and mutually reinforcing. International commitments—whether the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the Marrakech Declaration of 2011, or the UNGASS 2021 political declaration—all stress the need for a preventive approach grounded in respect for the rule of law, democracy, and human rights.
Within this framework, Morocco aimed to highlight its integrated approach, based on convergence between public policies, national institutions, and international commitments. Moderating the discussions, Ambassador Omar Zniber, the Kingdom’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, underscored the importance of this initiative, calling it “very important” at the multilateral level. He highlighted “the contributions of senior Moroccan officials” and “Morocco’s role as a leader in this process at the United Nations,” emphasizing the coordinated mobilization of national institutions and alignment with the Kingdom’s strategic directions in transparency and governance.
For his part, the interministerial delegate for human rights, El Habib Belkouch, placed the debate on a more fundamental footing, stressing that “corruption also constitutes a major obstacle to the effective enjoyment of human rights.” Moving beyond classic approaches focused on governance or repression, he insisted on its concrete effects: “When it affects access to justice, healthcare, education, or employment, it deprives individuals of legitimate rights.”
El Habib Belkouch recalled that “every resource diverted or wasted due to corruption is a resource no longer available to fund a school, a hospital, or a public policy,” illustrating the direct impact of this phenomenon on citizens’ daily lives. He also drew attention to the fact that its effects “often weigh more heavily on the most vulnerable groups,” particularly women and marginalized populations.
Insisting on the responses needed, he stated that “prevention today appears as one of the most effective levers,” highlighting key principles such as “transparency, the right of access to information, citizen participation, and accountability,” which he described not only as fundamental rights but also as “essential tools for preventing corruption.” He finally argued for stronger synergies between institutions, stressing that their coordination is “a major priority to improve the effectiveness of public policies.”
Echoing this view, Mohamed Benalilou, president of the National Authority for Integrity, Prevention and Fight against Corruption, gave an even more structural dimension to this linkage. According to him, the connection between these two fields “is gradually evolving towards a structural interdependence,” reflecting a profound transformation of analytical and action frameworks.
Adopting a victim-centered approach, he stressed that “it is no longer just about diverted funds, but about real victims of corruption deprived of their rights,” calling for going beyond traditional paradigms. He also highlighted dimensions still insufficiently taken into account, such as “gender-based corruption,” which he considers “an intrinsic obstacle to equality.”
Mohamed Benalilou further insisted on a major conceptual shift, estimating that “corruption prevention is evolving into a positive obligation for states to protect rights and freedoms.” In this logic, it becomes “an essential element of human rights due diligence.”
He also argued for “preserving civic space” and “recognizing whistleblowers as human rights defenders,” while calling for a transition to a model of “institutional integrity,” where institutions “are not limited to the absence of corruption, but actively protect rights and guarantee equality.”
On the international level, he stressed the need to “ensure greater coherence between the Geneva, Vienna, and New York processes,” emphasizing that obligations under the United Nations Convention against Corruption and those relating to human rights “constitute two facets of the same commitment.” He thus called for establishing “structural bridges” between institutions and for the emergence of “preventive governance based on human rights.”
Throughout the exchanges, a consensus emerged among participants on the urgency of strengthening synergies between the various actors—states, international institutions, and civil society—in order to make corruption prevention a key lever for protecting human rights. Emphasis was placed in particular on the role of education, capacity building, citizen participation, and digital technologies, considered indispensable tools for promoting good governance, strengthening transparency, and preventing abuses.
