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The global civil society network for the implementation and monitoring of the
United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) |
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An unprecedented vote in support of civil society participation took place at the recent 11th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). The vote overturned objections by two States to the participation of three non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that had applied to observe the conference. The first vote of this kind in Vienna UN fora, the result of 57 to 7 in favor of including the NGOs signaled strong support among States to ensuring a truly inclusive Conference with the full participation of civil society. We are hopeful that this vote may also impact the Conference of the States Parties to the UNCAC in late 2023 in the United States and help reverse the shrinking of civic space Vienna-based UN fora. Past UNCAC CoSPs have seen a growing number of leading NGO’s being excluded due to politically motivated objections from some States. Read our full statement for more information. |
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Updates on the UNCAC Review Process |
The full country report for the 2nd Review Cycle has been published for Lao People’s Democratic Republic (English). Country visits have been conducted for Sweden (1-3 June 2022), Chile (30 August to 1 September 2022), Namibia (23-25 August 2022), Paraguay (4-6 October 2022), and the Republic of Korea (11-13 October 2022).
With the UNCAC Review Process still underway in many countries, there are opportunities for civil society organizations to engage with their governments to participate in the national reviews. Civil society organisations can use tools produced by the UNCAC Coalition and engage in national UNCAC reviews in different ways: Producing a parallel report: the Coalition provides support for CSOs to produce a report on UNCAC implementation in their country. Our call for applications is open! Civil society organisations from an ODA recipient country where no CSO report has been produced yet are eligible to apply; Advocating for governments to sign the Transparency Pledge, a voluntary but necessary commitment for States to publish all official UNCAC documents produced for the country review and to follow up. We encourage governments to sign the pledge, joining 33 other signatories to do so; Participating in our Access to Information campaign to request that governments make key documents on the UNCAC publicly available; Reading our Guide to Transparency and Participation in the UNCAC Implementation Review Mechanism; Finding updates on your country on our Tracker, which provides an overview of the status of the UNCAC review in all States Parties to the Convention.
A recent article on how to engage in the UNCAC from U4 highlights the UNCAC Coalition’s parallel reports and calls for more support for better transparency, accountability and participation. |
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UNCAC Coalition Regional Meetings |
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Members of the Coalition’s network recently came together in regional meetings: |
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EU Court: Public access to beneficial ownership data invalid The Court of Justice of the European Union on 22 November declared invalid the provision of the 5th EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive that requires EU Member States to provide public access to beneficial ownership registers. The Court found that the Directive does not provide sufficient justification for interference in privacy and personal data protection rights. The ruling is a major setback for efforts of the anti-corruption community to advance transparency of company ownership. (Photo: Luxofluxo) |
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| Asset recovery: updated global data 4.16 billion USD in proceeds of corruption have been returned to the country of origin between 2010 and 2021, according to updated data that the Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiative has provided the UNCAC Working Group on Asset Recovery. 44 countries and jurisdictions reported involvement in at least one cross-border asset return. |
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Specialised anti-corruption courts: Comparative mapping A new U4 paper looks at anti-corruption courts as an increasingly common feature of national anti-corruption reform strategies. It identifies 27 such courts across Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. While there are no definitive best practices for specialised anti-corruption courts, existing models and experience provide some guidance to reformers considering the creation of similar institutions. |
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| Foreign bribery research Exporting Corruption, Transparency International’s latest study on monitoring foreign bribery enforcement, finds that multinational companies bribing their way into foreign markets go largely unpunished, and victims’ compensation is rare. Global Finance and the Enablers of Corruption, published by ACT and Global Integrity, looks at how those who facilitate corruption are regulated. |
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Litigation over stolen assts: Equatorial Guinea vs. FranceThe blog of the European Journal of International Law reports on a new case filed by Equatorial Guinea against France before the International Court of Justice. In its application, Equatorial Guinea alleges that France is failing to comply with its asset recovery obligations under the UNCAC. |
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Western Balkans anti-corruption pledges monitorThis tool designed by the GI-TOC seeks to contribute to the implementation and review process of anti-corruption pledges governments from the Western Balkans have made as part of the Berlin Process. It also highlights areas where further progress is needed. |
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Victims of Corruption: Short Film Series |
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The UNCAC Coalition launched the Short Film Series: Unveiling our Stories “ Victims of Corruption” based on the videos submitted to the Short Film Contest last year. This month, we feature the winning film from Colombia: I Wanted to Find a School. |
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Corruption is happening behind closed doors. Society as a whole, institutions, communities, the public, and individuals are victimized, due to both direct and indirect consequences of corruption. Therefore, the aim of our short film series is to give a voice, a face, and a platform to such victims of corruption who struggle to be recognized and who are seeking reparation. |
Follow the series on social media: #VoCSeries, #VictimsofCorruption.
Learn more about the Short Film Series. |
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The 20th International Anti-Corruption Conference takes place in Washington D.C., USA, from 6-10 December 2022. Check out the full agenda. Let us know if you plan on attending or participating in any workshops. We hope to see many of you there! We are involved in two workshops: Moving From Commitments to Implementation: Strengthening Anti-Corruption Monitoring Mechanisms to Increase Government Accountability Thur, 8 December, from 08:30 to 10:00 Washington time.
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 Thur, 8 December from 15:30 to 17:30 Washington time.
International Anti-Corruption Day is on 9 December. It is an opportunity for governments, activists and civil society to raise awareness and advocate for anti-corruption all over the world. We want to amplify the voices of our community, so let us know what activities or events you have planned for the day! You can send an email to info@uncaccoalition.org or tag us on social media, with the hashtag #IACD2022 |
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