LIVE: Blinken Hosts State Department Anti-Corruption Champions Award Ceremony

Secretary Blinken, Ambassador Makoontz, Speaker Emerita Pelosi, Senator Cardin, and Mrs. Cardin, Under Secretary Azad, family members, distinguished guests, and especially the anti-corruption champions, welcome. It's now three years, almost to the day, since the White House released the strategy on countering corruption, announcing a new framework for addressing corruption. Today, we recognize individuals doing the hard work of implementing transformative, anti-corruption initiatives on the ground in their communities, often at great risk, personal risk, and professional risk. The champions have been in the United States for several days for meetings with government counterparts as part of an international visitor leadership program, and I want to thank the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for your partnership in putting together this valuable program. To open our ceremony today, we will hear from someone who has been a force for good in this area. Throughout her career, she has been a tireless advocate for the vulnerable, something she is in common with our champions here today. I am delighted to welcome Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Good afternoon. Each year, the United Nations proclaims December 9th International Anti-Corruption Day, and this year's theme is Uniting with Youth Against Corruption, Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity. In that spirit, may we all draw inspiration from the stories of our honorees, so courageous, not just to be brilliant, not just to be strategic in fighting corruption, but to have the courage to do it. That's why I think we are so in awe of you here today. In doing so, we want to build a future worthy of the sacrifice that they are making, and others are making as well. I have a couple words to say about this, but I do want to. My purpose was to introduce Secretary Blinken, and I do that with great joy, not before I talk about Ben Cardin. Ben Cardin has been a champion in the Congress, honorees. He has been a champion as Chair of Foreign Relations, and he's called in the Senate. We have a different name in the House. We do that. Whenever it is, we have a different name. Ben Cardin has been a champion in his whole career in Congress, and even before as Speaker of the House in Maryland, about respecting the dignity and worth of every person. As you know, the Magnitsky legislation was really initiated by Ben Cardin, and that is an anti-corruption piece of legislation, but that is only part of it. For his whole career, the Helsinki Commission, all the human rights issues, all that are related to it. So he's really quite the champion, and he's gotten many awards for it as well. Thank you for your leadership. Mr. Secretary, thank you, Todd, for your leadership, and also Secretary Robinson. I'm calling him by his first name. And now for my purpose. I'm so excited to have the opportunity to present to you, because who needs to introduce Secretary Blinken? We all know full well what his great contribution and leadership has been to our country and to global security. But I just want you to know that over the weekend, he hosted the Kennedy Center Honors. Now, not to talk our social schedule, but he made a presentation that was so remarkable about trusting, about truth, how art brings out the truth. Truth is what we're talking about when we're talking about truth. The honorees who were receiving the award were so overwhelmed by his statement of the importance of art and unifying and finding common ground to find some place to join together, unifying aspects of it. I don't know if it's on Google or something, but it was one of the most remarkable. I couldn't decide whether it was Jeffersonian or Kennedy-esque or some combination thereof, but let's just say it was Blinken-esque. It was quite remarkable, quite remarkable. That's that. Now, our country, as we've been as chair, Mr. Chairman Cardin, as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, and I, a speaker in the past, and now going to the Battle of the Walls this weekend, anniversary, 80th anniversary. When we go rid of our shores, it's about three things. It's about security, security, security, security. It's about security, it's about economics, and it's about governance. All the things that these honorees have done lead to those points. Secretary Blinken's role, he has taken the Biden-Paris administration's priorities of those, whether it was just even in the past week in Malta or Brussels, every time you pick up the paper or however you get your news, Tony, some other place, talking about global security, recognizing the role of economics in all of that, and governance, which brings us here today, which brings us here today. I just, since I mentioned Senator, President Kennedy, I'll go back to him as I bring Tony up. We, when I was at your party the other day, I told the people there that I was probably the only person, and says she immodestly, Ben, the only person at the Kennedy Center Honors who was at President Kennedy's inauguration. I was a student and in school, obviously, and this is why I bring it up, not to tell you how old I am, but to tell you why I bring it up. In his speech, President Kennedy said, he said this, and you may know this from the history books, it was my use, it's your history, to the citizens of America, ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. We all know that. Every school child in America knows that. The next sentence in his speech is about President Biden and Tony Blinken. The next sentence in his speech, he said, to countries of the world, ask not what America can do for you, but what we can do working together for the freedom of mankind. Working together, no condescension, no we'll take the lead or learn from us, no, working together, respecting the countries and what they bring and what we learn from each other. No one has mastered that better than Tony Blinken. He makes us proud every time we see him in action, which is quite frequently. And today, it's such an honor for me to present him to you, Mr. Secretary Tony Blinken. Thank you, thank you. Good afternoon. Welcome to the State Department. Being introduced by speakers is a little bit like having Taylor Swift as your opening act. It only goes downhill from here. But I have to tell you that in my 32 years or so of doing this, never have I had the honor or privilege of working with a better, more determined, more effective leader than Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Thank you. And to Chairman Cardin, Craig Cardin, as the speaker said, you've been an extraordinary champion in so many ways, combating corruption but elevating people in everything that you've done and everything that you focused our foreign policy on for your many years of leadership. And as with the speaker, it's been an immense privilege for me to have had the opportunity to work with you. Thank you. Before I get to the subject at hand, permit me to speak briefly about the situation in Syria. It's impossible not to be moved by the scenes of jubilation, the scenes of relief coming out of Syria, people dancing in the streets, families weeping as they embrace children, husbands, wives who spent years locked away in the Assad regime's prison. After 14 years of conflict and decades of brutal repression under the Assad regime, Syrians finally feel hope for their future. The overwhelming majority of people in Syria have only known life under the iron fist of the Assad. Now they will know something else. The end of this regime is a defeat for all who enabled its barbarity and its corruption, none more than Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia. So this moment presents a historic opportunity, but it also carries considerable risks. History shows how quickly moments of promise can descend into conflict and violence. ISIS will try to use this period to reestablish its capabilities, to create safe havens. As our precision strikes over the weekend demonstrate, we are determined not to let that happen, and we'll continue to protect our personnel against any threats from any port. Syrian people have endured so much suffering. We have work to do to ensure that they endure no more. It's imperative that all actors involved protect civilians, respect human rights, especially of vulnerable minorities, preserve the state's institutions and services to help meet the needs of the Syrian people, and to build toward inclusive governance. Statements by rebel leaders to these ends are very welcome. But of course, the real measure of their commitment is not just what they say but what they do. We're engaging closely with our partners in the region on the situation in northeastern Syria, underscoring to all parties the need to de-escalate and protect civilian populations. And with every party we engage, we'll continue to seek information about Austin Tice so that we can find him and bring him home to his family and locals. The Syrian people have to be the ones to choose their path, their future. Senior officials from this department are fanning out through the region as we speak, working with counterparts on how the United States can help support the Syrian people as they decide their own path for the future, including now through providing humanitarian assistance directly to people, particularly those who have been displaced, and help them begin to recover. Over the coming days, I'll be in close consultations, as we've been throughout the weekend, with key allies and key partners in the region as well as beyond. Now, the United States has clear and enduring interests in Syria. We have a strong interest in preventing the reemergence of ISIS, given the death and destruction that it's wrought for so long. We have a clear interest in ensuring that whatever weapons of mass destruction or components are left in Syria do not fall into the wrong hands. We have a clear interest in doing what we can to avoid the fragmentation of Syria, mass migrations from Syria, and, of course, the export of terrorism and extremism. The region and the world have a responsibility to support the Syrian people as they begin to rebuild their country and chart a new direction. The United States should be committed to supporting them as they do that. Now, turning to the reason that we're all here. Today, we honor 10 remarkable individuals who've made extraordinary contributions in the fight against corruption, a threat which poses profound and far-reaching challenges to all of our society. We know that when officials abuse their positions of power for self-enrichment, for advancement, citizens lose faith in their government, and governments are denied the resources that should be dedicated to their citizens. It diminishes the quality of essential public services and healthcare and education. It undercuts economic opportunity for everyone. Corruption also exacerbates irregular migration, instability, conflict, conditions that terrorists, criminals, and adversaries all exploit. That's the reason why, in 2021, this administration made strengthening global partnerships a core pillar of the first ever U.S. strategy on countering corruption. Together, we've expanded our technical support to reform-minded governments. We trained thousands of justice officials and investigative journalists all around the world. We developed international monitoring mechanisms to promote greater integrity and accountability in high-risk sectors. Earlier today, the department issued our first visa restrictions under a new authority, announced last year, to deny safe haven to the facilitators of corruption. Now, for all of these efforts, the most important drivers of progress are the individuals on the front lines, whose hard-won insights inform our approach, whose daily work is delivering real results. This year's honorees include government officials who've converted political openings into meaningful institutional change. In Panama, Attorney General Javier Enrique Cabello Salazar took advantage of a statewide country's first ever anti-corruption task force. Albania's chief special prosecutor, Altin Dimani, leads a new national agency, mandated during the constitutional reforms of 2016, that prosecutes senior officials and organized crime leaders. Today, it is the most trusted public institution in Albania. Following Armenia's 2018 democratic transition, Deputy Prosecutor General Sipori Galan co-drafted an asset forfeiture law that has allowed the government to recapture millions of dollars in public funds that were stolen by corrupt officials and oligarchs. This year, she was appointed Minister of Justice. Of course, pursuing accountability from within government often comes at great personal risk. In Lebanon, Judge Parli Youssef Rouhani presided over some of the country's most high-profile cases of state corruption. During the probe into the 2020 Beirut port explosion, Judge Rouhani rebuffed repeated attempts by government officials to protect politically connected suspects. In Colombia, Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Mora has led the National Police's anti-corruption force in investigating a range of abuses, from embezzled COVID-19 relief funds to money-laundering operations. Death threats forced Lieutenant Colonel Mora to relocate, along with his wife and newborn child, to a secure facility. But still, he continues his work. Today's champions also represent civil society. Dr. Jim Asbari-Sentangwa, a professor and political cartoonist from Uganda, organizes social media campaigns that encourage Ugandans to post photos depicting mismanaged state resources. For generating public pressure, his online movements have prompted constructive steps from government, including commitments to improve infrastructure and health care. In Kazakhstan, the NGO led by Didar Rukhinovich Smogulov solicits and examines corruption allegations submitted by ordinary citizens. Since 2020, the group has reviewed more than 8,700 tips and published reports that have aided in the prosecution of countless officials. Maranya founded Gambia Participates, a nonprofit that trains young people to engage with elected officials. In recent years, this NGO consulted with lawmakers who drafted the country's first anti-corruption bill, reviewing the text together clause by clause. This 2024 cohort also includes investigative journalists who've deepened public knowledge about corruption. In Nepal, Nitrika Dallas, reporting on the embezzlement of state land and selling refugee status to people who did not need it, has led to the prosecution of former deputy prime ministers, among other senior officials. Finally, Azerbaijani journalist Sabne Basigizi has devoted more than a decade in exposing government abuses. She's also the one awardee who is not with us this afternoon. In November 2023, Sabine flew home from an overseas conference amid a crackdown on Azerbaijan's independent media. She returned, knowing that she might be arrested on arrival. She was. Now, more than a year later, she remains in detention. Prior to her arrest, Sabine wrote, and I quote, I don't feel fear anymore. I know what they can do. It does not stop me. It's more important to be useful to people. People need us. Each of our awardees has made hard choices in order to be useful to their fellow citizens and to citizens everywhere. We are all better for their efforts, for your efforts, for all of our champions. Thank you. Thank you for your extraordinary work, for your courage. We are honored to be your partners in this fight. And with that, it's a great pleasure to present our 2024 Anti-Corruption Champions with their awards. Thank you. MS SMITH-WILSON Good afternoon. My name is Shelby Smith-Wilson, and I join you today as INL's principal deputy assistant secretary and in my role overseeing the coordinator on Global Anti-Corruption Team. I would like to echo the praise to our Anti-Corruption Champions, with whom I had the privilege of spending the morning with. They are truly an inspiring group of individuals, and we appreciate your courage and bravery. The U.S. Department of State is pleased to confer these awards on our 2024 honorees. We recognize Sabine Baguif-Gizet as an Anti-Corruption Champion in absentia for her dedication to exposing high-level corruption in Azerbaijan. We recognize Dr. Jimmy Spire-Santongo as an Anti-Corruption Champion for his courageous human rights work in Uganda and shining a spotlight on government corruption. We recognize Mar Nang as an Anti-Corruption Champion for his fearless leadership and championing of significant legislative reform combating corruption in the Gambia. We recognize Alton Doumani as an Anti-Corruption Champion for his leadership as Chief Special Prosecutor, Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime with integrity, professionalism, and courage in Albania. We recognize Dr. Serpouhi Galyan as an Anti-Corruption Champion for her work to establish asset forfeiture as a crucial tool in the fight against corruption in Armenia. We recognize Judge Carl Youssef Birani as an Anti-Corruption Champion for his fierce commitment to fighting corruption through the judicial system in Lebanon. We recognize Didar Smagulat as an Anti-Corruption Champion for his work to hold corrupt individuals accountable and introduce sustainable systemic reforms in Kazakhstan. We recognize Matrika Dahal as an Anti-Corruption Champion for his work to eliminate high-profile corruption in Nepal. We recognize Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Mora as an Anti-Corruption Champion for his fearless devotion to investigating corruption at the highest levels in Colombia. We recognize Attorney General Javier Enrique Carvalho Salazar as an Anti-Corruption Champion for his leadership commitment to justice and unwavering dedication to combating deep-rooted corruption in Panama. Please give a big round of applause for all of our awardees. Each year we invite one champion to give remarks on behalf of all of the honorees. At this time, it is my pleasure to invite honoree Mark Nang from The Gambia to give remarks. Thank you very much. Thank you Secretary Blinken. This is highly appreciated. It's a pleasure to stand here today on behalf of my colleagues, our recipients from around the world to deliver this speech on their behalf. Without doubt, one of the most difficult fights is the fight against corruption. And the ones who are in this fight face numerous reprisals from government security apparatus and business moguls who engage in illicit transactions with public officials. Anti-corruption activists are the first aid of anti-corruption in every society. And it's through our work that we deter and control the spread of this cancer before it hits up our government and society. This is why we fight, not for self but for the downtrodden, the middle class, the rich and the unborn. We fight because we cannot stand going to public hospitals and seeing patients lying on mattresses on the floor while a group of people devour the We fight because we cannot stand electricity going off in the middle of surgery, putting the lives of patients on the line. We stand up against corruption because it is difficult to see public officials riding in multimillion SUVs while citizens in rural communities use donkey We fight because we want a working system and a world developed country where citizens live in absolute dignity. The only thing standing between us and this goal is corruption and leadership, nothing else. We fight because we cannot stand a population of over two million depending on one ferry vessel. The only vessel that is meant to carry the sick, the students, policemen and women, credit traders and businesses to one side of the bank to the other. Because of its ineffective administration, it has cost life, properties and forced indigents to bankruptcy and poverty. We fight because we want to make sure what is for everyone is not for one. In our meeting today, Secretary Blinken has already given his proposal and based on our interactions that I have with these honorees, I would like to mention who we are with here today. A police chief who used the power and authority vested on him to counter insubstantial corruption in Colombia. We have a judge who adjudicates corruption without thinking of pro quo in Lebanon. A university lecturer and a journalist who both use a unique tool, a keyboard to raise awareness on the dangers of corruption in their respective countries. An Attorney General of Panama who refused to get soaked in the corruption of mafias in his country but took actions to sanction them, especially those mentioned in the Panama Papers. Also amongst us is the Minister of Justice of Armenia who contributed in constructing a civil for future law in and lawyer myself as an advocate who advocate for legislative reforms, institutional and individual accountability for a more progressive, efficient and a corruption-resilient public service both in my country and in also data from Kazakhstan. And finally a Chief Prosecutor of Corruption and Organized Crime in Albania. How wonderful would it be to have this in a society? However this is without various challenges. The world of anti-corruption and advocates activists around the world are sometimes faced with numerous reprisals including torture, targeted assassinations, arrest and detention for just doing what is right for our communities and our country. I and a group of brave young men and women were already arrested for doing just that, standing up against corruption. Sometimes what we are fighting for it does not affect us or our families in any way, at least temporarily. But people get hurt, people die, economies weaken and governments captured leading to kleptocracy and absolute totalitarianism. This is why we can't sit and do nothing. While we go through all of these ordeals it takes a foreign government thousands of miles away to recognize our efforts. Thank you. Because we are extremely grateful to the US government and this is not only an encouragement to continue our struggle for a society immune to corruption but I hope it's also an encouragement for those who want to stand up against corruption but fear the consequences of their actions. And just before you want to give up the fight against corruption I want to remind you of Dr King's statement which he made in this historic city of DC in 1959 and I quote, make a career of humanity, commit yourself to the no struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater possible of yourself, a greater nation of your country and a better world to live in. So rise up and fight because you either rise up now or get buried alive in corruption. It's important to note that there are also anti-corruption champions in our rural communities doing wonderful work but not known. You also have them in our government, judiciary and the legislature. Therefore I want to use this platform to encourage these silent anti-corruption champions back home who are doing whatever they can to establish systems that detest and sanction corruption despite the challenges they face. We're very honored for this prestigious award being presented to us by Honorable Secretary Blinken, graced by the Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Honorable Senators and House Representatives here in person. On behalf of my colleagues I want to say thank you very much. Finally today I would like to now welcome Senator Ben Cardin to the podium. Senator Cardin has led and championed anti-corruption initiatives throughout his entire distinguished career. He sponsored the Global Magnitsky Act in 2016 and spearheaded the bipartisan combating global global corruption act. Senator Cardin I hope you don't mind if I quote you here that you called corruption a fundamental obstacle to peace prosperity and human rights. No one could have said it better. Please welcome Senator Cardin. Assistant Secretary Robinson thank you very much for those very kind remarks and first I just want to congratulate all the honorees. As Speaker Pelosi said you really motivate us. You have such courage. Yes we speak out on behalf of American values. We do that from the comfort of our democratic country and the protection of a democratic country. You have put your own lives at risk in order to help the people of your country. You're our heroes and we want you to know that and we thank you for what you have done not only for your own country but to inspire the global community that we all can do better. So congratulations to each of you. Now Speaker Pelosi said some really nice things about me. I want you to know something she's a little biased but she didn't tell you is that of course she hails from Baltimore Maryland my state and I have the honor of serving in the Congress of the United States in the congressional district that was represented by her father. So we have had a long relationship. We have served together now in the Congress for 38 years together and I must tell you there is no finer example of a person who's given her entire career to advance the values that make this country the great nation it is. She has been the voice of voiceless around the world and she's traveled around the world to speak up for human rights. So Nancy thank you for everything you have done and continue to do to strengthen our country and make this world a safer place to live. Now to Secretary Blinken I need to do this. There's usually a rough relationship between the first and second branch of government when it comes to how foreign policy is implemented and the relationship between the Congress and the State Department and the White House. Tony Blinken came from the Congress. When I first came to the United States Senate he was the Chief of Staff for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. So I was trained by Tony Blinken and Tony Blinken told me to speak up for the Senate with the work with the President. So I followed that advice. So I want to first compliment the Biden administration for the priority that it's placed on American values, the priority that it's placed on anti-corruption. It was President Biden who acknowledged that corruption is a core national security interest of the United States. We have an interest in fighting global corruption for the stability of the global community and for America's national security interest. So thank you for establishing these anti-corruption champions awards. It was the initiative of the Biden administration and Secretary Blinken. I must tell you Secretary Blinken has devoted his entire life to advancing American values. He's done it with incredible distinction. I don't know how he can travel the way he does and always seem wide awake and alert. I don't know how you do it. I don't know whether it's the Columbian coffee that you're drinking. I don't know what it is, but something's keeping you up at night. But anyway, and there's hardly a day that goes by I told you about Syria today. Yesterday it was the Republic of Korea. Every day it seems like there's an area that requires our attention and Secretary Blinken has done that with incredible distinction. But there's one other part that is really, I think, goes unnoticed. I know Speaker Pelosi will agree with me on this. I've worked with many administrations and many secretaries of state. There is none like Tony Blinken for respecting the legislative branch of government and working constructively with the legislative branch of government in a very open, transparent manner. And for that, as a member of the United States Senate and as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I just want you to know how much we appreciate everything you did so that we can work together to strengthen our country's foreign policy. Congratulations. As my colleagues in the Senate know, I very much have made the priority of my chairmanship the promotion of American foreign policy based upon our values. Secretary Blinken went around the world to promote democracy, respect for human rights, good governance, anti-corruption. These are values that we cherish that are the strength of our nation. So it is fully vetted that we are honoring those that are fighting corruption. We do that by our words and our deeds. So, yes, we want to have this ceremony to publicly acknowledge what you have done to advance anti-corruption and combating corruption in your countries and giving us a model for global action. But we also want to give you the tools. I appreciate the fact that Secretary Blinken announced that there will be some visa sanctions that are going to be issued by the State Department. The Bignitsky statute that was referenced says that if you do certain things to your citizens and your country does not hold you accountable, we will hold you accountable. These are personal sanctions, unlike sanctions that we apply against a country as a whole. These really hurt individuals that are violating others' rights. It stops them from visiting our country or using our banking system. It has worked. And I appreciate the fact that I get a lot of credit for the development and passage of first the Sergei Bignitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act and later the global Bignitsky. But it was the late John McCain who insisted that we include corruption as one of the reasons why the sanctions can be imposed. So this has been a bipartisan effort, and that tool has been very effective. And, Secretary Blinken, thank you very much. We're breaking the bureaucracy of the State Department so we can get the combating global corruption done. I love the State Department. But there is a little bureaucracy here that sometimes is difficult to get through. And you don't like us telling you what you have to do in embassies around the world. But it was important that our embassies reflect the anti-corruption efforts that are taking place in the country in which they're representing the United States. For you see, corruption is cancer. If you don't treat it in a medical science, it'll bring down your democratic institutions and it'll bring down your government. Autocratic governments live on corruption. That's why it's so important, because as we see countries that are developing and want to be strong democracies, that we deal with the corruption within that country so that country can achieve its objectives. So I wanted to be here today to say thank you to the 10 honorees. Each of you have helped make your country and the world a safer place for all. Congratulations for a job well done. I'm honored to be here with you. Senator Cardin, thank you for your remarks and your service. Ladies and gentlemen and distinguished guests, thank you for joining us today to support brave individuals, all of them champions. And a special thank you to the champions' family members, some here today and others watching from home. How about one more round of applause for our champions? This concludes our ceremony. And if I could ask the audience to hold in their seats for just a few minutes until the secretary departs, I'd appreciate it. Thank you.