A/HRC/41/20 corruption from a human rights perspective. Panellists were asked whether it was possible to assess and quantify the impact of corruption on the realization of civil and political rights, as well as on economic, social and cultural rights, and about which methods could be used for that purpose. Lastly, panellists were asked whether and how human rights mechanisms, such as the universal periodic review, and anti-corruption mechanisms, such as the Implementation Review Mechanism of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, could use the Sustainable Development Goals, and particularly Sustainable Development Goal 16, in this regard. C. Responses and concluding remarks 50. After the contributions from the floor, the moderator gave panellists the opportunity to respond to questions and to make concluding remarks. 51. Mr. Ayamdoo recalled the issue of measurement of the impact of corruption on human rights. Corruption was not easily identifiable or measurable, which made it difficult to assess the impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights. Many African countries considered indicators based on perception not appropriate. Countries that demonstrated the political will to fight corruption could sometimes be assessed negatively, on the basis of false perceptions or unfounded allegations of corruption. Further dialogue and discussions on the measurement of corruption were needed. Indicators of good performance should be based on positive steps rather than on the number of convictions, given that the latter approach could encourage the incarceration of innocent persons. Mr. Ayamdoo concluded by questioning how the review of the United Nations Convention against Corruption could include human rights principles, given that its procedures were based on an already defined questionnaire and the fact that the latest review round would soon be concluded. The universal periodic review could be an opportunity to include the issue of corruption and its impact on human rights. 52. According to Mr. Kreutner, general legislation against corruption was a good practice, unlike legislation intended to sanction corruption in specific foreign countries. Measuring corruption was problematic, as it was ultimately about measuring human behaviour. For that reason, resources dedicated to measurement could divert attention away from the main issues. Using conviction rates to assess the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures was problematic. Corruption could not be eradicated entirely; it was therefore preferable to adopt an evolutionary approach rather than a revolutionary one. Technology had great potential to strengthen the fight against corruption, even though it was not the solution to all problems, and its abuse could lead to a dystopian scenario of human rights violations. International cooperation should build on what was already in place, including the United Nations Convention against Corruption and its Implementation Review Mechanism, and the follow-up mechanism beyond the second review cycle. The recovery and return of assets remained a major challenge, and needed to be addressed. Another challenge was the lack of resources. Some international organizations lacked funding to engage in technical assistance and capacity-building. One possible solution was the “let crime pay” principle, namely, to contribute a percentage of the money or of the corresponding value of the proceeds of crime or confiscated property to technical assistance and capacity-building activities.3 Mr. Kreutner stated that he would prefer to have separate mechanisms for human rights and for anti-corruption activities working in close cooperation rather than one mechanism with cumulative functions. In his view, establishing a single mechanism for these functions could water down the work on both human rights and anti-corruption. 53. Ms. Valiña emphasized the challenge of conducting an integrated approach when working on anti-corruption activities and human rights. In the United Nations system, efforts were being made to integrate a human rights-based approach in several areas. In general, human rights work at the international, regional, national and local levels and in civil society had integrated an anti-corruption perspective. However, the anti-corruption 3 12 United Nations Convention against Corruption, art. 62.2 (c).