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The global civil society network for the implementation and monitoring of the
United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)

Dear Reader,

In this final newsletter of 2022, we share four maps about national implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption.

We also summarize insights from our workshops at the International Anti-Corruption Conference, present new civil society reports on UNCAC implementation in Tunisia and Mexico, point out interesting reads including on the first Global Data Barometer, highlight twelve organizations joining our network and a paid internship role with the Coalition.

My team and I would like to thank you for your collaboration, support and engagement over the past year to jointly advance anti-corruption efforts.

We wish you happy and relaxing holidays if you celebrate, and all the best for 2023 from Vienna!

The Coalition’s Vienna-based Hub team, December 2022. From the left: Alexis Chalon, Danella Newman, Mathias Huter, Betina Pasteknik, Denyse Degiorgio, Yonatan Yakir, Niamh Webster.

UNCAC at a glance

With four interactive maps, we visualize the status of UNCAC implementation reviews in countries around the world, compliance with our UNCAC Transparency Pledge, civil society reports on national UNCAC implementation, as well as how governments have reacted to formal requests for information on UNCAC reviews.

'UNCAC at a glance' aims to help civil society organizations and government officials to use the UNCAC reviews to advance reforms. It includes:

• 4 tools for civil society and governments (see below),

• ‘how to’ guides for using them,

• best practice examples.

1. UNCAC Review Status Tracker

It is difficult to track progress in the ongoing 2nd cycle of the UNCAC implementation reviews. The map of our UNCAC Review Status Tracker brings together all available information on countries’ reviews in one place.

2. Transparency Pledge Compliance

The below map depicts compliance with our Transparency Pledge. It highlights the 33 countries that have signed it so far, committing to higher levels of transparency and inclusiveness in the 2nd cycle of their national UNCAC reviews, as well as the current level of compliance (some of the national reviews are still in progress, compliance may thus still improve).

While several countries are mostly compliant with their commitments, the only fully compliant one at this point appears to be North Macedonia.

3. Civil Society Parallel Reports on UNCAC Implementation

The next map shows the civil society parallel reports on national UNCAC implementation national NGOs have produced, or are currently working on, with support of the UNCAC Coalition. The reports provide insight on both the legal and practical implementation of the UNCAC at the national level.

4. Access to Information campaign

This map visualizes the preliminary results of our access to information campaign: Civil society organizations are using freedom of information laws to request documents and information on national UNCAC reviews. Requests are needed because countries are not actively releasing important information and documents about their UNCAC implementation reviews.

International Anti-Corruption Conference 2022

Insights from our workshops at the International Anti-Corruption Conference earlier this month:

Moving From Commitments to Implementation: Strengthening Anti-Corruption Monitoring Mechanisms to Increase Government Accountability

Coordinated by UNCAC Coalition and with speakers from Transparency International, Open Government Partnership and Transparencia por Colombia.

What makes an anti-corruption review mechanism effective, inclusive and transparent? Our workshop offered examples of different review mechanisms of conventions and initiatives. We gathered ideas to strengthen and improve the UNCAC review mechanism in its next phase. Panelists and participants helped to identify aspects which the UNCAC Coalition will use in advocacy activities on making the UNCAC review mechanism more effective, as the 1st phase of the UNCAC mechanism is coming to an end in 2024 or 2025 and States Parties are starting to discuss how the next phase should look like.

Environmental Crime, Corruption and the Climate Crisis: Strengthening Anti-Corruption Frameworks and Enforcement Measures to Protect the Environment, the Climate and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Communities

Coordinated by the Wildlife Justice Commission on behalf of the UNCAC Coalition’s Environmental Crime and Corruption working group, with speakers from Transparency International, Columbia University, Basel Institute for Governance and Transparency International Brazil.

How can we prevent and combat environmental crime and corruption? Speakers identified gaps in anti-corruption frameworks and weak enforcement that harm the environment, climate and human rights. The need to tackle financial aspects of transnational environmental crimes and corruption is also critical. The UNCAC Coalition’s Environmental Crime and Corruption Working Group will draw upon these recommendations and discussions to strengthen the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and its implementation.

Civil society reports on UNCAC implementation

Tunisia took steps to align its legislative and institutional frameworks with the UNCAC but two decades of political upheaval negatively impacted its implementation. Events in 2022 put the country’s democracy at stake, a new civil society parallel report from the Tunisian NGO I WATCH on UNCAC implementation in Tunisia highlights. Operations of the anti-corruption body INLUCC were stopped in 2021. This has jeopardized the rights and interests of the general public and weakened preventive mechanisms in the fight against corruption, the report finds. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted deficiencies in the management of public funds, coupled with inadequacies in monitoring carried out by the various bodies involved, including the Court of Auditors. The report was produced with support from the UNCAC Coalition.

Mexico has a good legal framework in place on preventive measures of corruption, but there are major problems with implementation in practice; Asset recovery provisions are lacking and high levels of impunity persist. Furthermore, the current government’s aggressive rhetoric against anti-corruption advocates and human rights defenders has led to less transparency and accountability and has caused an even further shrinking of civic space. These are some of the findings from a civil society parallel report produced by Derechos Humanos y Litigio Estratégico Mexicano and Sociedad Mexicana de Litigio de Interés Público, with support from the UNCAC Coalition.

Anti-corruption activists under attack in Madagascar

Our colleague Ketakandriana Rafitoson, the executive director of Transparency International Initiative Madagascar (TI MDG), faces possible prosecution for her organization’s investigations into corruption in the lychee trade which also highlighted the role of French companies.

Since the publication of their parallel report on UNCAC implementation in Madagascar, the UNCAC Coalition has been supporting the organization to follow up on the recommendations in their report. This follow-up included a national petition about the urgent need to adopt legislation on the protection of human rights defenders and whistleblowers.

Read more about case from Transparency International and Amnesty International.

New member and affiliate organizations to the UNCAC Coalition

A warm welcome to our new member organizations:

• CLCT Integrity Fiji;

• Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo (Ecuador);

• EG Justice (USA, working on Equatorial Guinea);

• Kosovo Law Institute;

• Transparency International Lithuania;

• Iniciativa de Transparencia, Anticorrupción y Digitalización – Escuela de Gobierno y Transformación Pública del Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico);

• HEDA Resource Centre (Nigeria);

• Integrity Initiatives International (USA, Netherlands);

• Open Ownership (international).

We also welcome the following new affiliate organizations to our network:

• Freedom for Eurasia (Austria, working on countries in Central Asia);

• Balkan Institute for Regional Cooperation – BIRC (North Macedonia);

• Zimbabwe Women Against Corruption Trust.

Regional meetings: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America

Coalition members and affiliates in December met to discuss sextortion, public procurement, anti-corruption agencies and access to environmental information in regional meetings:

• The Europe regional meeting focused on public procurement, with over a third of our members and affiliated groups in the UNCAC Coalition Europe network already working on or being interested in this issue. Speakers included Karolis Granickas, Open Contracting Partnership (OCP), Karina Carvalho, Transparência e Integridade (TI Portugal), and Diana Metushi-Krasniqi, Kosova Democratic Institute.

• The Sub-Saharan Africa regional meeting brought attention to the issue of sextortion. Speakers from the region were Laura Jaymangal, Transparency International Mauritius, Tafadzwa Chikumbu and Fadzai Jekemu from TI Zimbabwe, Andoniaina Liantsoa Rakotoarivelo from TI Madagascar, and Beauty Emefah Narteh from the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition.

• The Latin America and the Caribbean regional meeting focused on the importance of access to environmental information. Speakers were Dr. Sean Whittaker, Lecturer at the University of Dundee and executive director of the Center for Freedom of Information, and Andrea Meier, specialist within the Environmental Governance programme of Proética from Peru.

• The topic of the Asia-Pacific regional meeting: Anti-corruption Agencies – what models work? We heard from Adam Graycar, Professor of Public Policy/ Director, Stretton Institute University of Adelaide, Australia and Lalola Easter, Indonesia Corruption Watch, who presented Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), as a ‘once hopeful agent of change’ to share the lessons learnt.

Internship vacancy (paid)

We are recruiting for an internship (paid) starting February 2023 with our team in Vienna. An excellent opportunity for recent graduates or early career professionals interested in anti-corruption, policy and advocacy. The deadline for applications is January 9th, 2023. Find out more details and how to apply.

Interesting Reads