Morocco warns Geneva about corruption’s toll on fundamental rights

Held amid a global context of growing awareness 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 — from the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the 2011 Marrakech Declaration to the UNGASS 2021 political declaration — all stress the need for a preventive approach based on respect for the rule of law, democracy and human rights.

Within this framework, Morocco aimed to highlight its integrated approach, founded 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,” insisting on the coordinated mobilization of national institutions and alignment with the Kingdom’s strategic directions on transparency and governance.

For his part, the interministerial delegate for human rights, El Habib Belkouch, placed the debate on more fundamental ground, stressing that “corruption also constitutes a major obstacle to the effective enjoyment of human rights.” Going beyond classical approaches focused on governance or repression, he insisted on its concrete effects: “When it affects access to justice, health care, education or employment, it deprives individuals of legitimate rights.”

El Habib Belkouch recalled that “every resource diverted or wasted because of corruption is a resource that is no longer available to finance a school, a hospital or a public policy,” thus 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,” notably women and marginalized populations.

Insisting on the responses needed, he affirmed 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 strengthening synergies between institutions, stressing that their coordination constitutes “a major priority to improve the effectiveness of public policies.”

Echoing these views, Mohamed Benalilou, president of the National Authority for Integrity, Prevention and the Fight against Corruption, gave this articulation an even more structural reach. According to him, the link between these two fields “is gradually evolving toward a structural interdependence,” reflecting a profound transformation of analytical and action frameworks.

In 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 moving 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, stating 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 due diligence in human rights.”

He also argued for “preserving civic space” and “recognizing whistleblowers as human rights defenders,” while calling for a transition toward 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 front, he stressed the need to “ensure greater consistency between the processes in Geneva, Vienna and New York,” emphasizing that the obligations arising from the United Nations Convention against Corruption and those relating to human rights “constitute two facets of the same commitment.” He thus called for the establishment of “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 — to make corruption prevention a key lever for protecting human rights. Particular emphasis was placed on the role of education, capacity building, citizen participation and digital technologies, considered essential tools for promoting good governance, strengthening transparency and preventing abuses.