Friday, December 9th, marked International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD). The United Nations (UN) General Assembly on October 31, 2003, adopted the UN Convention against Corruption.The Assembly also designated December 9th as IACD, to raise awareness of corruption and the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it. The Convention entered into force in December 2005.The theme for this year is: "Act against Corruption Today."On St. Maarten, the Integrity project is well underway, since the financial approval was given several months ago.Corruption is a serious crime that can undermine the social and economic development in any society.As part of the Integrity Project of the Government of Sint Maarten, stakeholders are busy developing the countries first integrity vision which will then be formulated into an Integrity Policy document Sint Maarten."While corruption is a worldwide phenomenon, combating this scourge needs to be tailored to local perceptions and vulnerabilities. Understanding the phenomenon and its effects on society is the first step. It is also a community effort", Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams said on the occasion of the IACD 2011.The November 25 Integrity Stakeholders Vision Workshop was attended by Secretaries General, Department Heads within government with defined Integrity tasks and responsibilities, the General Audit Chamber and the Ombudsman, among others.
In March 2011, the financial agreement for the highly anticipated Integrity Policy Sint Maarten was signed after the Council of Ministers approved this project in December 2010.