A/HRC/4/71 page 15 them today as it was to write critically of them before. Also in relation to the limited power of the media, another participant noted that while Bangladesh enjoys a free media, the country is not free of corruption. The speaker cautioned against the illusion that the media and civil society alone can solve the problem of corruption and urged that attention be given to the supply side, particularly donors. Similarly, several participants highlighted the importance of the international community’s concerted action in supporting efforts within specific countries to fight corruption. Because of the importance of international pressure in sustained efforts against corruption, a recommendation was made to convene recurring regional conferences to follow up on progress. 33. Other comments addressed a range of additional issues. The need to define corruption was raised, with one participant noting that this is necessary to enable people “to recognize it”. Such recognition cannot be assumed as in some cultures people may not understand their practices as being corrupt. A related point is the need to develop indices of corruption that go beyond “perception”, otherwise countries can simply hire public relations firms to improve their image without making real changes. Finally, a question was raised regarding how political will can be sustained in the face of repeated setbacks. 34. The moderator concluded the session by highlighting six additional recommendations: (a) international standards should be adopted to tackle private sector corruption; (b) there should be more international collaboration to support governments to penalize corruption-related crime; (c) the media, civil society and the private sector should themselves be accountable, particularly if they are asking Governments to be; (d) we should learn from each other on the issues of corporate compliance, media practices and civil society initiatives and share those experiences between our countries; (e) we should simplify the definition of corruption, make it understandable to everyone by drawing on approaches adopted by human rights activists, and develop indices offering clear measurements of corruption; and (f) we need to consider the use of information and communication technologies in enabling transparency and holding public authorities accountable. V. FIGHTING CORRUPTION WHILE SAFEGUARDING HUMAN RIGHTS 35. The session moderator, Juan Martabit, Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations Office at Geneva, explained the panel’s objective as highlighting the potential tensions between anti-corruption measures and the protection of human rights. Additionally, the panel would identify areas of potential conflict, solutions to avoid tension between the two areas, and remedies in case of violations of rights as a result of anti-corruption measures. 36. Drawing on his experience, Mr. McMillan, Commonwealth Ombudsman of Australia, described how ombudsman offices can help curb corruption in Governments while safeguarding human rights. Ombudsman offices handle complaints from members of civil society about shortcomings in government decision-making and service delivery, and occasionally investigate systemic problems occurring either within the Government or in specific agencies. Because it lacks intrusive powers and adequate resources, the fight against corruption is not the main role of the ombudsman office. Nevertheless, Mr. McMillan noted a number of ways in which the ombudsman office’s impact on corruption “is subtle but significant over time”. The very existence of ombudsman offices is a constant reminder to public officials to act legally and