“Corruption hampers the ability of nations to prosper and grow,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the closing of the panel discussion, at UN Headquarters in New York. “Neither peace, development nor human rights can flourish in an atmosphere of corruption.”

Organized by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the ECOSOC 2012 High Level Panel on ‘Accountability, Transparency and Sustainable Development: Turning Challenges into Opportunities’ sought to spotlight the negative consequences that corruption and lack of transparency can have on sustainable development, while giving participants the opportunity to exchange views on innovative approaches and partnerships in combating the issue.

“Last year, corruption prevented 30 per cent of all development assistance from reaching its final destination. This translates into bridges, hospitals and schools that were never built, and people living without the benefit of these services,” Ban said. “This is a failure of accountability and transparency. We cannot let it persist.”

Addressing the opening of the discussion earlier Monday, the Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, had described corruption as a threat to sustainable development and the “moral fibre of societies.”

“The work against corruption is even more important in weak and fragile countries – some just emerging from conflict – where the rule of law and institutions are still vulnerable,” he added, stressing that it is vital that governments include anti-corruption measures in all national development programmes.

The High Level Panel also promoted a renewed commitment for the ratification or accession to the UN Convention against Corruption by countries that have not yet done so. The Convention is the first legally binding global anti-corruption instrument – it obliges States to prevent and criminalize corruption, promote international cooperation, recover stolen assets and improve technical assistance and information exchange.

“Today’s special event has highlighted the important role of accountability and transparency and their impact on development. Our debate has shown that, if we are to successfully promote accountability and transparency, a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach is required,” said ECOSOC’s President, Miloš Koterec.

He added, “I once again urge every State to join the Convention and to add their own voices to the groundswell of countries seeking to promote accountability and transparency.”

The Panel discussion was part of ECOSOC’s high-level segment, which began last Monday and concludes today. A founding UN Charter body, ECOSOC is the venue where issues concerning the world’s economic, social and environmental challenges are discussed and debated, and policy recommendations made.

More than 500 delegates, including government ministers and heads of civil society groups, international institutions and the private sector, attended the Council’s high-level segment, which focussed on boosting productive capacity, strengthening development cooperation and creating decent, sustainable work.

ECOSOC will now hold its operational activities segment and humanitarian affairs segment, before concluding on 27 July.

The 54-member Council coordinates the work of the 14 UN specialized agencies, ten functional commissions and five regional commissions, receives reports from ten UN funds and programmes and issues policy recommendations to the UN system, as well as to Member States. It meets every year, alternating between New York and Geneva.

“You gather at a pivotal time in the Middle East and North Africa,” Mr. Ban said in a message to the two-day, UN-backed International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East Peace that began in Geneva today. “The world has witnessed profound changes across the region in the past 18 months, driven by brave and committed citizens, with women and youth in the vanguard.”

The UN chief noted in the message – which was delivered by Maher Nasser, Acting Head of the Department of Public Information (DPI) – that journalists, activists, policy-makers and representatives of civil society have played important roles in these historic movements for change.

“I salute your dedication and courage in promoting transparency, accountability and democracy. I urge you to continue to promote peace and increase mutual understanding between communities, especially Palestinians and Israelis,” he said.

The annual seminar, established by the General Assembly in 1991, is designed to look at the role of the media in advancing the peace process – one which is currently at a standstill. Israeli-Palestinian talks have been stalled since late September, following Israel’s refusal to extend a 10-month freeze on settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory. Ban said the regional awakening based on the ideals of freedom, dignity and non-violence cannot be complete without a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Too many Palestinians and Israelis have suffered for too many years,” he stated. “I am concerned at the fragility of the situation on the ground, and I urge the parties to overcome the current obstacles and resume direct, bilateral negotiations without delay or preconditions.” He pledged that the UN will remain engaged in helping the parties to forge a way forward, with the aim of establishing a sovereign, independent, contiguous and viable State of Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel. “Only then will we be able to move towards the broader goal of comprehensive regional peace in the Middle East,” said the Secretary-General.

This year’s seminar, organized by DPI in cooperation with the Government of Switzerland, will examine issues such as the impact of the Arab Spring on media coverage of the question of Palestine and the role of women’s activism and the media in the Israeli-Palestinian peace and the wider region.

In his remarks to the gathering, Mr. Nasser stated that the objective of the seminar, which is taking place during a period of “profound and tumultuous change,” is two-fold.

It seeks to sensitize public opinion on the question of Palestine, he said, and to examine some of the evolving media-related dynamics shaping events in the region, while exploring how they relate to the situation between Israelis and Palestinians.

“Our discussions will focus on the role of the media in covering different aspects of recent events in the Middle East, and how they relate to the situation in Israel and Palestine,” he said. “This is an opportunity for representatives of the media and civil society from the region and beyond to come together to share their experiences and exchange views.”

The past 16 months have witnessed historic changes as a wave of popular uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East, which became known collectively as the Arab Spring, led to changes in government in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and to uprisings in Bahrain and Syria, among other countries.