The White House 

Office of the Press Secretary 

For Immediate Release November 12, 2010 

G-20: Fact Sheet on a Shared Commitment to Fighting Corruption 

Today, the President joined other G-20 leaders in releasing a comprehensive Action Plan to 

strengthen anti-corruption efforts worldwide. With this initiative, the G-20 signaled its 

commitment to fighting corruption in the public and private sectors and ensuring that corrupt 

officials cannot access our financial institutions or find safe haven in our countries. 

 

The G-20’s agenda is built around three pillars: (1) a common approach to building an effective 

global anti-corruption regime, the principles of which are enshrined in the provisions of the UN 

Convention against Corruption (UNCAC); (2) specific commitments to show collective 

leadership by taking action in high priority areas that affect our economies; and (3) a 

commitment to directly engaging our private sector stakeholders in the development and 

implementation of innovative and cooperative practices in support of a clean business 

environment. 

 

The United States believes that the central challenge in driving forward this agenda is not in 

figuring out what needs to be done. The UNCAC, the Anti-Bribery Convention, and the 

Financial Action Task Force, among other instruments, outline the necessary steps and set in 

place clear and high standards. Our collective challenge is to summon the political will to 

embrace these instruments and standards, strengthen them where appropriate, but most 

importantly take actions to effectively implement them. This is why the Action Plan endorsed by 

the G-20 today is so important. 

 

Under the Action Plan, G-20 Leaders agreed to lead by example in key areas, including: to 

accede or ratify and effectively implement the UNCAC and promote a transparent and inclusive 

review process; adopt and enforce laws against the bribery of foreign public officials; prevent 

access of corrupt officials to the global financial system; consider a cooperative framework for 

the denial of entry to corrupt officials, extradition, and asset recovery; protect whistleblowers; 

and safeguard anticorruption bodies. 

 

U.S. Leadership to Combat Corruption

 

The G-20 Action Plan builds on the President’s global leadership in the fight against corruption, 

which this Administration has made a top national priority. Over the past year, U.S. leadership 

has included: 

 

Prosecuting Bribery and Corruption Overseas

• Increased enforcement capacity to pursue bribery of officials overseas, including 

enhanced enforcement efforts of the Fraud Section at the Department of Justice and the 
creation of a dedicated unit at the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has 

helped to level the playing field for ethical businesses that operate internationally. 

• Filing 105 enforcement actions involving bribery of foreign officials overseas since the 

beginning of 2009, and collecting over $2 billion in criminal and civil penalties. 

Denying Safe Haven to Kleptocrats and Proceeds of Corruption

• Using Presidential Proclamation 7750 and other immigration authorities to prevent 

corrupt officials and those who pay them bribes from entering the United States, with 

increased focus on corruption in extractive industries and a decision to double staffing to 

provide more capacity to the State Department’s anti-kleptocracy efforts. 

• Launched a Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, initiating the process to substantially 

increase staffing in the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering 

Section to pursue the proceeds of foreign official corruption and foster international 

cooperation. 

Developing the International Standards and Architecture for Fighting Corruption

• Led the creation and initiation of a new peer review mechanism to review the efforts of 

147 countries in implementing the United Nations Convention against Corruption, and set 

an example to other countries by being one of the first countries to be reviewed. 

• Continued U.S. leadership in the OECD Working Group on Bribery including by: 

ensuring greater accountability through published statistics on investigations and 

prosecutions; negotiating a new OECD Recommendation to enhance the implementation 

and enforcement of the Antibribery Convention; developing good practice guidance to 

help companies strengthen compliance programs to prevent and detect bribery; promoting 

regular meetings of prosecutors to address cross-cutting issues; and supporting the third 

phase of monitoring on enforcement of transnational bribery laws. 

Building Capacity of Other Governments to Tackle Corruption

• Provided over $1 billion in fiscal year 2009 in anti-corruption and related good 

governance assistance aimed at promoting transparency, accountability and participation 

in government institutions and public processes at all levels. 

• Posted expert prosecutors and law enforcement officers in over 35 countries this year to 

assist in building sound and fair justice systems and establishing non-corrupt institutions. 

Provided specialized anticorruption assistance, including three initial pilot programs on 

recovery of assets stowed abroad by corrupt officials, in targeted countries. 

• Signed three new Millennium Challenge Corporation compacts in 2009 and 2010 totaling 

$1.2 billion with countries selected, in part, on performance on control of corruption. 

Promoting Public-Private Partnerships against Corruption

• Increased efforts in business education and awareness including outreach to potential 

importers and investors in developing countries and support for ethics initiatives. 
• With this year’s financial commitment, became the largest donor to the Extractive 

Industries Transparency Initiative -- providing $10.5 million to the Trust Fund over the 

last three years -- and worked with international organizations, the private sector, and 

governments to help resource rich countries build transparent and accountable practices 

in the extractive industries sector. 

• Worked with the U.S. Congress to pass a “Publish What You Pay” law requiring that oil, 

gas, and mining companies report payments to the U.S. or any foreign government for 

resource extraction.