The global civil society network for the implementation and monitoring of the
United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)
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Dear Reader,
the first-ever UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) against corruption is taking place next week from June 2-4.
Will the Special Session lead to substantive progress?
In a series of ‘lightning talks’, leading civil society experts will provide an analysis of the commitments countries have agreed on in the political declaration and discuss what further actions are needed.
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Join the #UNGASS2021 Conversation
On the UNCAC Coalition website, you will find the embedded live stream of the UNGASS general debate as well as ongoing summaries and commentary on the statements of world leaders on their country's anti-corruption efforts and commitments, which will be launched at the start of the Special Session on June 2.
The UNGASS opening segment is on Wednesday, June 2, at 10:00 New York time, with the general debate running between 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00. Side events will take place around the general debate and during breaks.
Join the conversation on Twitter using #UNGASS2021, where civil society will provide commentary on the statements made at the Special Session.
Appeal to governments
In an appeal drafted by the Peruvian lawyer José Ugaz and members of the UNCAC Coalition's working group on victims of corruption, more than 60 civil society organisations, church groups and individuals are calling on governments to highlight in their UNGASS statements the tremendous damages caused by corruption, in particular during the Covid-19 pandemic and that:
- corruption in general and grand corruption, in particular, has a negative impact on human rights, global peace and security, climate and biodiversity and the achievement of the SDGs,
- they recognise the damages caused by corruption during the pandemic and will take measures to tackle corruption risks in public contracting, in particular for contacts directly affecting the lives of people,
- there can be no impunity for those responsible for corruption,
- they will commit increase efforts to identify and compensate the victims of corruption.
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UNGASS Side Events
UNGASS Side events start on Tuesday, 1 June and run until Friday, 4 June from 9:00 to 10:00; 13:00 to 14:00; 14:00 to 15:00 and 17:00 to 18:00. We invite you to join our side event, co-organised with UNODC, on:
The event will demonstrate how civil society contributes to the UNCAC, specifically how CSOs engage with States Parties in the process of the Implementation Review Mechanism to increase transparency, accountability and subsequent action on the findings from the country reports.
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- Tuesday, 1 June, 9.00-10.00 New York time
- Wednesday, 2 June, 17.00-18.00 New York time
- Fighting corruption: what role for civil society? Co-organised by TOJIL
- Corruption in the era of COVID-19: An impediment to global health, human rights, and development. Organised by Center for International Human Rights, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
- Friday, 4 June, 14.00-15.00 New York time
- Synergizing SDG 16.10 and UNCAC to fight corruption. Organised by Article 19
- Friday, 4 June, 17.00-18.00 New York time
- Compensation of victims of an act of corruption. Co-organised by Transparency International
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Social Watch Benin (SWB) has produced a parallel report on national UNCAC implementation in Benin, with support from the UNCAC Coalition. The report covers the implementation of Chapter II (Preventive Measures) and Chapter V (Asset Recovery) provisions of the UNCAC. It seeks to inform the ongoing UNCAC implementation review process.
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The report outlines both strengths and weaknesses in various facets of Benin's anti-corruption frameworks:
- Judicial independence: the government of Benin provides the judiciary with an ethics guide outlining basic standards of conduct and the requisite sanctions for violation of these; however, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary remains a politicised institution with no less than 6 political appointees;
- Participation of civil society: while civil society was actively involved in the development of the government-approved strategic anti-corruption framework in Benin, the country has yet to decriminalise press offences, which are an obstacle for journalists and civil society;
- Money laundering: several reforms and new legislation which appears to be largely in line with FATF recommendations have been undertaken by the government, yet stakeholders such as lawyers, notaries and accountants lack knowledge on AML/CFT and any awareness of their obligations;
- Asset declarations and conflicts of interest: only the president is obliged to file an asset declaration. This requirement previously also applied to elected parliamentarians and local councilors, however a law passed in April 2020 repealed this provision. The list of officials subject to the obligation to declare their assets is still to be determined by a new decree.
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A summary of the report's key findings is available here. You can also find the original report in French here, or the full translated report in English here.
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Second Regional Meeting for Latin America
A lively exchange of ideas on the need for more transparency and integrity in political financing took place during the UNCAC Coalition's second regional meeting for Latin America. Three speakers from Puerto Rico and Argentina presented their initiatives on the topic before engaging in discussions with around 20 attendees. See the highlights here.
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The Damage of Mozambique's $2 billion Hidden Debt Scheme
Together with the Chr. Michelsen Institute, the Centro de Integridade Pública (CIP) in Mozambique highlighted that the Hidden Debt scandal cost the Mozambican people $11 billion in its new report. In 2013, bankers in Europe, businesspeople based in the Middle East, and top officials in Mozambique conspired to organise a $2 billion loan to Mozambique. The loan was kept hidden, only the bribes ever arrived in the country.
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Credibility of Corruption Statistics
The U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre has published a critical review of ten widely cited statistics on the global costs of corruption, looking at their credibility and reliability, as well as their practical use in advocacy work. The study's results include suggestions on how to improve the use of such statistics. Find the review here.
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GI-TOC Report on Organized Crime & Corruption
The Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) addresses the links between organized crime and corruption in its new report, 'All Roads Lead to Rome'. Italy, as the Chair of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group, and incumbent G20 President has prioritised improved responses to the links between these two phenomena. Read more here.
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France addresses the restitution of illicit assets
The National Assembly is in the process of examining legislation to refine a mechanism for the restitution of assets confiscated in cases of 'ill-gotten gains', to be returned to populations in the countries of origin. This is a landmark first step in compensating populations affected by corruption, but significant work lies ahead to ensure that transparency and accountability form part of the French restitution process. Find the article here, also available in French.
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Mexico: Covid-19 corruption reporting platform
Derechos Humanos y Litigios Mexicanos (DLM) have developed a platform called #DenunciaCorrupcionCoronavirus, which allows citizens to report any act of corruption during treatment and diagnosis for Covid-19 in Mexico’s public and private hospitals. Since its launch, the platform has received over 500 reports, exposing acute levels of corruption within the healthcare sector. Explore the data in Spanish here.
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Do you have relevant news or a success story linked to the UNCAC that you would like to feature in our next newsletter? Send us an email with the subject line "Newsletter" at info@uncaccoalition.org!
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Welcome to our new members!
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We would also like to extend a warm welcome to our new individual member Xu Suhong.
Read more about this month's Member in the Spotlight - Transparency Mauritius - here!
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