UNODC Launches TRACK Portal and Anti-Corruption Legal Library

UNODC has launched a web-based anti-corruption portal known as TRACK (Tools and Resources for Anti-Corruption Knowledge). The portal features the Legal Library on the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), providing a unique gateway to an electronic database of legislation and jurisprudence relevant to UNCAC from over 175 States systematized in accordance with the requirements of the Convention. The TRACK portal brings together legal and non-legal knowledge on anti-corruption and asset recovery enabling Member States, the anti-corruption community and the general public to access this information in a central location. An anti-corruption learning platform is also incorporated, providing a common space where analytical tools generated by partner organizations can be searched and accessed by users world-wide.

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United Nations Convention against Corruption

Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said at the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December 2009 that it the world's vulnerable who suffer "first and worst" by corruption such as the theft of public money or foreign aid for private gain. The result, he says, is fewer resources to fund the building of infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and roads. Mr. Ban notes, however, that corruption "is not some vast impersonal force" but "the result of personal decisions, most often motivated by greed." Pointing out that "the UN Convention against Corruption is the world's strongest legal instrument to build integrity and fight corruption", he also called on businesses to adopt anti-corruption measures in line with the Convention.

The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. The Convention's far-reaching approach and the mandatory character of many of its provisions make it a unique tool for developing a comprehensive response to a global problem. The UNCAC covers five main areas: prevention, criminalization and law enforcement measures, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance and information exchange. The UNCAC covers many different forms of corruption, such as trading in influence, abuse of power, and various acts of corruption in the private sector. A further significant development was the inclusion of a specific chapter of the Convention dealing with the recovery of assets, a major concern for countries that pursue the assets of former leaders and other officials accused or found to have engaged in corruption. The rapidly growing number of States that have become parties to the Convention is further proof of its universal nature and reach.

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Review of Implementation

Antonio Maria Costa November 2009, 3rd session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, Doha, Qatar

The Conference of the States Parties to the UNCAC was established pursuant to article 63 of the Convention to improve the capacity of and cooperation between States parties to achieve the objectives set forth in UNCAC and to promote and review its implementation. At its third session, held in Doha, Qatar in November 2009, the Conference decided on the Terms of Reference of a Mechanism for the Reviewing of Implementation of the Convention and established the Implementation Review Group to oversee the review process under the authority of the Conference.

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Thematic Programme on Action against Corruption, Economic Fraud and Identity-related Crime

UNODC through its Thematic Programme "Action against Corruption, Economic Fraud and Identity-related Crime" acts as a catalyst and a resource to help States, in particular those with vulnerable developing or transitional economies, to effectively implement the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, by providing practical assistance and building the technical capacity needed to develop effective anti-corruption policies and institutions, including preventive anticorruption frameworks in the public and private sector.The present document also draws on the lessons learnt outlined in the Programme Performance Review for the Thematic Programme on Action against Corruption and Economic Crime (2010-2011).

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Technical assistance tools, manuals and publications

To provide guidance and assistance in the area of corruption, UNODC has developed several tools, manuals and publications and is currently developing new ones

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Stolen Asset Recovery Assistance

UNODC's work in the area of asset recovery aims at encouraging and facilitating systematic and timely return of assets stolen through acts of corruption, under the framework of UNCAC. For this objective, UNODC established a partnership with the World Bank Group under the joint Stolen Assets Recovery (StAR) Initiative. The StAR initiative is focusing on lowering the barriers to asset recovery; building national capacity for asset recovery; and providing preparatory assistance in the recovery of assets.

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Strengthening the Integrity of the Judiciary

A serious impediment to the success of any anti-corruption strategy is a corrupt judiciary. An ethically compromised judiciary means that the legal and institutional mechanism designed to curb corruption, however well-targeted, efficient or honest, remains crippled. Unfortunately, evidence is steadily and increasingly surfacing of widespread corruption in the courts in many parts of the world.

To confront the problem, the UN is taking a variety of approaches. It is examining judicial corruption in detail and seeking to identify means of addressing it, in higher and lower levels of court systems.

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International Anti-Corruption Academy

Through this project, UNODC, in close cooperation with the Austrian Government, provides support to the establishment of the International Anti-Corruption Academy, as well as the start-up of activities at the Academy. In pursuing this objective, the activities initially focus on developing proposals for the mandate and scope of activities and for the legal documents necessary to establish the status, structure and funding modalities for the Academy. The project also includes outreach activities and contacts with Member States and international organizations.

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Awareness-raising and outreach

Public awareness materials are produced that can be used globally in anti-corruption campaigns by UNODC field offices, Governments, non-governmental organizations and other civil society organizations. Special attention is paid to corruption-related issues on 9 December, every year, on the occasion of the International Day against Corruption to raise awareness about the problem of corruption. UNODC reaches out to the general public through Facebook and Twitter.

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Corruption surveys

UNODC adopts an evidence-based approach to quantify the extent and describe the patterns of corruption at country level.

Information on experience of corruption is gathered through sample surveys on different targets - general population, business sector, civil servants - following strict methodological standards.

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Work with the Private Sector

The role of the private sector in the fight against corruption is regarded as crucial. At its third session, the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption adopted resolution 3/2 on the prevention of corruption, underscoring the role that the private sector has to play in preventing and fighting corruption.

UNODC contributes actively to the implementation of the 10th principle of the United Nations Global Compact, which states that "Business should work against corruption in any form, including bribery and extortion".

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Action against Economic Fraud and Identity-related Crime

UNODC has been actively working to develop new tools to assist Member States in strengthening their legal, institutional and operational capacities in order to combat economic fraud and identity-related crime at the domestic level, and to effectively engage in international cooperation against these crimes.

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