COPENHAGEN, 9 December 2025 – Marking International Anti-Corruption Day 2025, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Fighting Corruption, Vice-President Irene Charalambides (Cyprus), today issued the following statement:
“On International Anti-Corruption Day, we should all be alarmed by how deeply corruption damages societies and how profoundly it affects people’s lives. This day serves as a reminder that honest citizens are the ones who ultimately pay the price for the actions of corrupt individuals.
According to estimates by the World Economic Forum, the global cost of corruption exceeds $2.6 trillion, around 5 per cent of global GDP. The World Bank reports that businesses and individuals pay more than $1 trillion in bribes each year. These figures represent resources stolen from the public by corrupt actors.
Today reminds us of our shared responsibility to combat corruption in all its forms, using every means available. As members of parliament and policymakers, our role is crucial. Our responsibilities go beyond adopting legislation — we must also ensure the effective implementation and enforcement of the laws we pass. Independent anti-corruption bodies, prosecutors, governments, civil society organizations, and the media must be empowered and supported to detect, investigate, and combat corruption. Strengthening these institutions is essential to exposing wrongdoing and restoring public trust.
No country is immune to corruption. Whether in the north or south, east or west, rich or poor, all states are vulnerable to it. The strongest safeguards against corruption are accountability, transparency, effective oversight mechanisms, a robust and independent judiciary, adequate legislation, and genuine political will.
I was shocked by the recent investigation into corruption cases in the EU and in Kyiv. As the OSCE PA’s Special Representative on Fighting Corruption, I encourage all institutions involved in anti-corruption work to do their best, they have my full support.
At the OSCE PA Annual Session in Porto, I introduced a resolution on ‘Addressing the Nexus between Corruption, Organized Crime and Terrorism’, which received broad support and was adopted as part of the Porto Declaration. Its adoption demonstrates the unity and determination within the OSCE PA to confront corruption.
On this International Anti-Corruption Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to transparency, accountability and integrity. Let us strengthen our resolve to address corruption not merely as a legal or policy challenge, but as a moral imperative. Through decisive action and collective effort, we can build a fairer, more equitable and corruption-free world.”
For more information on the work of the Special Representative on Fighting Corruption, please click here.
