Law and Sustainable Development 5: Panel Five "Integrity, Corruption and Sustainable Development"

UC Davis Law and Jindal Global Law School Conference: Law and Sustainable Development WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND WHAT IS ITS RELATIONSHIP TO LAW? The most frequently used definition of sustainable development is from Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report: Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs. Law plays a critical role in the achievement of sustainable development. During this one-day conference, scholars from a variety of fields including corporate law, intellectual property, human rights and environmental law will come together to discuss the role of law - including soft law, hard law and governance structures - in achieving and implementing sustainable development. 3:30 - 4:30P.M. | Panel 5: Integrity, Corruption and Sustainable Development Integrity is a core concern for sustainable development. Corruption, foreign bribery, tax evasion and related illicit financial flows deprive developing countries of billions in necessary funds and resources. Corruption and lack of transparency also impede equitable development by depriving vulnerable groups access to public goods such as healthcare, education and water and sanitation. The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 16, titled “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions,” commits the global community to work together to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.” More specifically, the goal includes commitments to fight corruption, increase transparency, tackle illicit financial flows, provide legal identity for all and improve access to information. This panel will deliberate on the nexus between sustainable development and integrity, and how governments are performing in trying to achieve lower corruption, greater transparency and more inclusive institutions. UC Davis Law Moderator & Panelists: Afra Afsharipour, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of Law and Martin Luther King Jr. Hall Research Scholar (Moderator) Raquel Aldana, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Diversity and Professor of Law Elizabeth Joh, Professor of Law Jindal Panelist: Suvrajyoti Gupta, Assistant Professor and Assistant Director, Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution