HL Deb 20 December 2004 vol 667 c111WA
Baroness Whitaker

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In relation to G8 discussions of African issues:

  1. (a) what priority they will give to deterring corruption on the part of the private sector and governments;
  2. (b) what objectives in this regard they propose for the G8; and
  3. (c) how they propose the G8 should achieve them. [HL316]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The Government will continue to accord a high priority to deterring and combating corruption, including in Africa. We have two priorities for next year's G8 presidency: Africa and climate change.

In that framework, we look forward to the proposals of the Commission for Africa, due in early spring next year. One of the themes that the Commission is considering is governance, including the impact of corruption.

At this year's G8 Summit, the G8 countries made, inter alia, a commitment to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, translate the words of the convention into effective actions and assist developing countries in accomplishing the convention's objectives. G8 countries have committed to implement a new partnership to detect, recover and return illicitly acquired proceeds of crime and to adhere rigorously to an updated peer review schedule under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Anti-Bribery Convention.

We will continue our efforts to encourage all states to implement robust anti-corruption and anti-bribery measures in line with international and regional conventions.

In addition, we will continue to work with partners, including implementing governments, civil society and the private sector, to extend the implementation of the extractive industry transparency initiative (EITI) to other countries, including in Africa.

The UK is committed to reaching £1.25 billion per annum of official development assistance (ODA) to Africa by 2007–08. We are also encouraging other countries, including the G8, to reach the 0.7 per cent target of ODA as a percentage of gross national income; the UK has committed to doing so by 2013.