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UNCAC Conference of States Parties (CoSP) |
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See Transparency International and Civil Society Coalition "Friends of the UNCAC" activities in Bali |
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What's new at the Conference?
See daily updates from the Civil Society Coalition's website: www.uncaccoalition.org
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01 Feb |
UN Corruption Conference: Failure to act on critical issue a ‘major setback’ for the fight against corruption |
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01 Feb |
Next Steps after the UNCAC Second Conference of States Parties |
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01 Feb |
Declaration to protect anti-corruption advocates and whistleblowers |
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31 Jan |
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30 Jan |
Huguette Labelle addresses the Conference of States Parties, emphasizing the need for action to establish an UNCAC review mechanism |
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30 Jan |
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30 Jan |
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30 Jan |
Moment of Silence for Victims of Corruption: The Civil Society Coalition decided to have their own moment of silence, to remember the many who have died around the world fighting and exposing corruption. |
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29 Jan |
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29 Jan |
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29 Jan |
Civil Society Statement to the Conference of States Parties (CoSP), 29.01.2008: Coalition of Civil Society Friends of UNCAC Statement - |
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28 Jan |
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28 Jan |
Irony of the day: Gillian Dell was not allowed into the Conference center because she was bringing a banner where Article 13 of the UNCAC was printed. Ironically the article reads: "Each State Party shall take appropriate measures to promote the active parcipation of individuals and groups outside the public sector, such as civil society, non-governmental organisations and community organisations, in the prevention and fight against corruption..." |
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27 Jan |
In the afternoon, the conference leaders announced the death of former president Suharto. It is ironic that his death will impact and potentially overshadow the coming days of the conference that is designed to combat grand corruption, including recovering looted assets. It is also disappointing that Suharto passed away before it was decided how he would be held accountable for the corruption that is associated with the years of his rule over Indonesia. |
Between 28 January and 1 February 2008, the focus of the world’s attention will once again be on Bali, Indonesia.
This time, government representatives from around the world will gather for the Second Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
The premier global anti-corruption treaty, the UNCAC has been signed by 140 states and ratified thus far by 107. Its Conference of States Parties (CoSP) provides the main forum for discussing and charting its course, with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime serving as the Secretariat for the event.
On the agenda for this CoSP are the design of an effective review mechanism to monitor government performance, and the implementation of the Convention’s groundbreaking asset recovery provisions.
The outcome will determine the success of anti-corruption work for years to come, and so it is imperative that the attending states deliver on the Convention’s promise. Observing their efforts will be the members of civil society, media and business alike.
What is UNCAC and why does it matter?
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UNCAC stands for the United Nations Convention against Corruption. Adopted by the UN General Assembly in October 2003, it is the first global framework to harmonise anti-corruption efforts worldwide. It is widely recognised as the most promising initiative to curb the scourge of corruption. This convention is unique not only in its worldwide coverage but also in the extensiveness and detail of its provisions. |
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The UNCAC embodies a comprehensive approach to corruption, recognising the importance of both preventive and punitive measures. It also addresses the cross-border nature of corruption, and includes provisions on the return of ill-gotten assets.
This convention holds great promise for civil society because it provides a mandate for the participation of citizens and civil society organisations in accountability processes, as well as recognising the need for governments to provide citizens with information about anti-corruption efforts and to protect whistleblowers.
The Coalition of Civil Society Friends of the UNCAC
The Coalition of Civil Society Friends of the UNCAC, is a group co-convened by Transparency International. Coalition members will be observing and contributing to the proceedings of the Conference of States Parties.
Established in mid-2006, the Coalition is a loose network of over 50 civil society organisations committed to promoting ratification, implementation and monitoring of the United Nations Anti-corruption Convention. Among the member are Transparency International (TI), UNICORN, Oxfam, Article 19, Global Witness, International Council on Human Rights Policy, Tax Justice Network, Institute for Security Studies in South Africa and others.
The Coalition is determined to ensure that a strong and diverse civil society voice in support of UNCAC is heard both at the Conference itself and throughout the post-Conference activities. To that end, it is keeping a regular update of the Conference proceedings on its website, as well as participating in the plenaries, organising side events and issuing a civil society declaration.
The Coalition includes a wide range of organisations includings those with a focus on anti-corruption, human rights, development, environment, access to information and many more. The Coalition is open to new members and is steadily growing.
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TI press releases related to the Conference
Without rigorous country progress reports, UN Corruption Convention will be a "dead letter"
Berlin/Bali, 25 January 2008 - As nearly 140 UN Member States head to Bali to kick off a conference on 28 January about the future of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) - the global road-map for eradicating corruption - Transparency International (TI) is advocating to ensure that governments keep their commitments and implement the convention.
>>read full press release
Berlin, 18 January 2008 - TI leaders to attend UN Anti-Corruption Conference on Bali (Media Advisory)
Background information on some of the key issues:
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The Five Key UNCAC chapters
Prevention (Chapter II) Provides an ambitious programme to reduce corruption risks and strenthen accountability on the part of different actors from the public and private sectors and civil society. Criminalisation The UNCAC Review Mechanism: Activating the Convention For the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to be effective, it needs a robust, transparent, and well resourced system of monitoring government performance. The UNCAC has left it open whether a review mechanism would be established. The first Conference of States Parties held in 2006, affirmed the need for such a mechanism, and established working group to develop proposals. In view of these discussions and upcoming decision-making, TI released its own set of Recommendations for an UNCAC Review Mechanism. These propose a credible review body, a strong secretariat, a flexible and cost-effective system of review, and an open process inclusive of civil society. A pilot programme should begin in 2008-09, followed by a full schedule of reviews starting in 2010.Civil society will work hard to ensure that the Conference of States Parties adopts a monitoring mechanism worthy of the Convention. Only then will the full potential of this global convention be realised. Asset recovery Corruption drains resources that could otherwise be used to alleviate poverty, disease and illiteracy. The annual cross-border flow of proceeds from criminal activity, corruption and tax evasion is estimated at over US $1 trillion by the World Bank. Furthermore, bribes received by public officials from developing and transition countries are estimated at US $20 to $40 billion annually. Money is diverted from public funds by people in power somwhere in the world, stocked in numbered bank accounts in a different part of the world, transferred to yet another country, yet another bank – and it might take years to recover and even more to repatriate those assets. Transparency International has long called for action to end safe havens for such funds. The UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) provides strong provisions to ensure cooperation between developing and developed countries. But realising the full potential of these legal requirements will require political will and strong support from many stakeholders. Recovering stolen assets is complex and depends on mutual legal cooperation and a strong commitment to convention provisions. Getting Business Behind UNCAC The involvement and support of private sector is an important ingredient to UNCAC success. A number of business organisations are attending the Conference, contributing to discussions and providing a business perspective.The Conference will incude a special meeting co-sponsored by a range of organisations including TI on the role of the UNCAC in the modern economy. Among other the meeting will cover how existing voluntary anti-bribery principles can support the values of UNCAC; the challenge of anti-bribery compliance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the role of the business community in supporting anti-corruption infrastructure where it is active.The meeting will also coincide with the launch of the TI’s new SME Edition of the Business Principles for Countering Bribery, developed to assist smaller businesses in designing and implementing their own anti-bribery policies and programmes. |
TI national chapters: UNCAC advocacy across regions
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The Americas Poder Ciudadano (TI Argentina) has been one of the most active members of the Coalition of Civil Society Friends of the UNCAC in the Americas region. Poder Ciudadano is carrying out a project at regional level on implementation of the convention. |
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Transparencia por Colombia has made UNCAC a main focus of their work. They carry out extensive awareness-raising work about the UNCAC and advocate for public institution and private sector support to UNCAC monitoring. |
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Transparencia Mexicana has contributed extensively to monitoring the different international conventions that apply in Mexico and has established a monitoring website that is both updated by the state and civil society http://www.anticorrupcion.org.mx/. |
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Transparencia Paraguay has established a civil society observatory. It aims at having civil society interested and informed about the conventions that apply in the country and push for government compliance. |
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Acción Ciudadana (TI chapter in Guatemala) works in a national coalition of civil society organisations that monitor convention implementation in the country. A list of indicators measures implementation. |
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The US chapter has held regular discussions with their government on the importance of a review. |
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Africa Transparency International (TI) analysed the implementation of anti-corruption laws in nine countries of the region: Algeria, Burundi, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, and Uganda. The studies found that legal gaps between the requirements by the relevant anti-corruption conventions - the UN Convention against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and Related Offences - need to be amended. |
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TI chapters and contact groups from Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia participated in the Global Forum V in 2006 strengthening action for effective implementation of anti-corruptin conventions. |
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Representatives of TI-Morocco recently met with their government to discuss the importance of taking concrete steps on a review mechanism at the upcoming UNCAC CoSP. |
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Transparency Rwanda (TR) is cooperating closely with the country's government on promoting monitoring of UNCAC implementation and on the self-evaluation report submitted to UNODC. |
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TI Zambia has formed a working committee with the Anti-Corruption Commission to encourage the Zambian Government to ratify the UNCAC and domesticate its provisions. |
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Association Algérienne de Lutte Contre la Corruption, TI’s chapter-in-formation in Algeria, has been engaging the public in promoting UNCAC ratification through a series of public meetings, booklets and handouts, as well as some media relations efforts. |
Also see the related In Focus on the TI website.
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Europe and Central Asia TI chapters in Armenia, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania and Romania completed parallel responses to the official UNODC Checklist on UNCAC Implementation, allowing for comparison to be drawn between official government responses and those of TI chapters representing civil society. Most of these chapters are very active in the Coalition of Civil Society Friends of the UNCAC. |
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TI Lithuania examines whether the Lithuanian legal and institutional systems correspond to the provisions of the UN Convention against Corruption. This project is supported by UNDP, the Special Investigation Service and private sector companies. |
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TI Spain, through a targeted letter to the President and a meeting with relevant officials in the Ministry of Justice, was successful in raising awareness and applying pressure on the Spanish Government to complete and submit the UNCAC Checklist. |
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TI Romania supports the creation of a National Integrity Agency, related to the prevention and control of conflicts of interest, unjustified wealth and other UNCAC-related issues. |
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TI-Mongolia sent the TI Recommendations for an UNCAC review mechanism to the President, Prime Minister, Parliament, and several other high-level institutions of Mongolian government. The Independent Agency Against Corruption is sending a delegate to the Conference of States Parties in Bali in support of TI. |
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Asia and Pacific TI Indonesia, the chapter in the host country to the Conference of States Parties, has created a civil society anti-corruption forum which is holding workshops parallel to the Conference of the States Parties to address anti-corruption issues in democratic transitions. |
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TI-Korea is active in promoting UNCAC ratification in Korea and contributes regularly to discussions of the Coalition of Civil Society Friends and |
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TI Bangladesh has worked with the government on UNCAC implementation and monitoring its progress. The chapter also runs campaigns for establishing a review mechanism and promotes legal reforms necessary for compliance with the convention's requirements. |
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TI-Australia and TI-New Zealand actively lobby their governments. |
If you are interested in getting involved in civil society efforts in support of the UNCAC, consider the following
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Download TI´s Policy Position: |
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Effectively Monitoring the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) ( PDF) |
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Selected links
- Civil Society Coalition Friends of the UNCAC
- Conference of the States Parties official website
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
- 2006 Conference of the States Parties (TI website)
- Read the full text of the UN Convention against Corruption
- See more information on the UNCAC on the TI website
- AMM resolution on UNCAC
- Read the Coalition Statement from the first Conference of States Parties in 2006
News coverage
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Journalists demand safety in reporting corruption
Bangkok Post, Thailand, 05 February 2008 -
Aufspüren und Rückführung von "Potentatengeldern"
Telepolis, Germany, 04 February 2008 -
Business players join drive against graft
The Jakarta Post, 31 January 2008 -
Anti-Corruption Body Warns of UN-Led Campaign Failure
AllAfrica.com, 31 January 2008 -
CG makes all-out efforts to stamp out corruption
The Daily Star, 30 January 2008 -
Corruption Summit Opens as 'World's Most Corrupt Leader' Dies
OneWorld.net, 30 January 2008 -
UN graft meeting targets plundering, corrupt leaders
Gulf Times, 29 January 2008 -
UN graft meeting targeting plunderers; Seeks ways to claw back leaders' ill-gotten gains
The Toronto Star, 29 January 2008 -
U.N. graft meeting seeks new ways to chase the money
Reuters South Africa, 29 January 2008 -
Corruption busters in Bali
Jakarta Post, 29 January 2008 -
UN Pushes for Recovery of Nations' Stolen Assets
AllAfrica.com, 29 January 2008 -
Developed world urged to help beat graft
Financial Times, 28 January 2008 -
Anti-graft conference seeks recovery of assets; As host, Indonesia can expect scrutiny
International Herald Tribune, 28 January 2008 -
U.N graft meeting targets plundering leaders
Reuters Africa, 28 January 2008
Media contacts:
Gypsy Guillén Kaiser
Senior Press Officer
Tel.: (+49-30) 3438 20 662
E-Mail: ggkaiser@transparency.org
