Today marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the UNCAC, the only comprehensive, global, legally-binding anti-corruption instrument with 190 States Parties to date. The world has changed immensely over the past 20 years, and so has the fight against corruption. Climate change, conflict, poverty and continuing inequalities in society are exacerbated by corruption. Meanwhile, civic space is shrinking and those working to counter corruption and hold governments accountable are being detained, harassed and silenced.
However, not all is hopeless. Investigative journalism and big data leaks are unveiling previously undetected corrupt corporate structures, illicit financial flows and shady high-level dealings. Civil society continues to play an essential role in the fight against corruption and it has become clearer than ever that governments cannot face this scourge alone: a multi-stakeholder approach to corruption is indispensable.
This blog post reflects experiences from civil society organizations (CSOs) from Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin and North America as well as the Caribbean* that have participated in their national second cycle UNCAC implementation reviews. We intend to highlight good practices as well as ones that leave room for improvement, and provide recommendations for what meaningful participation of civil society in these reviews should look like – all with the aim of contributing to more effective implementation and monitoring of the Convention.