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UNODC's Action against Corruption and Economic Crime Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that affects all countries. Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slows economic development and contributes to governmental instability. Corruption attack s the foundation of democratic institutions by distorting electoral processes, perverting the rule of law and creating bureaucratic quagmires whose only reason for existing is the soliciting of bribes. Economic development is stunted because foreign direct investment is discouraged and small businesses within the country often find it impossible to overcome the "start-up costs" required because of corruption. |
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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 20009, 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 and Economic Crime
The UNODC through its Thematic Programme on Action against Corruption and Economic Crime acts a catalyst and a resource to help States effectively implement the provisions of the Convention. It assists States with vulnerable developing or transitional economies by promoting anti-corruption measures in the public and private sector. The primary goal of the anti-corruption work done by UNODC is to provide States with practical assistance and build the technical capacity needed to implement the Convention. Efforts concentrate on supporting Member States in the development of anti-corruption policies and institutions, including preventive anti-corruption frameworks. As the Guardian of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, UNODC has re sident in-depth knowledge on the Convention emanating from having negotiated the treaty. As the Secretariat of the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention, and its established Implementation Review Mechanism, UNODC is mandated to conduct the analysis of States Parties' self-assessment reports and facilitate and support country peer reviews. UNODC is also mandated to compile technical assistance needs identified through the self-assessment checklist, analyze gaps in implementing UNCAC and thus assist the Conference in identifying technical assistance priorities and develop responses. UNODC can not only play a lead role in providing technical assistance for the implementation of UNCAC, but can also act as an honest broker responsible for matching those in need of technical assistance with technical assistance providers. The Implementation Review Mechanism provides further an opportunity to review the impact of technical assistance delivered on a country's compliance with UNCAC, i.e. to assess whether the assistance has achieved the goals and filled the gaps identified. |
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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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Corruption Knowledge Management and Legal Library
In order to assist countries in the implementation of UNCAC and to facilitate the sharing of information and good practices, UNODC is developing a web-based collaborative forum designed to be a repository of corruption-related knowledge; the establishment and maintenance of a legal library. |
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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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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
Corruption/integrity surveys carried out by UNODC target civil servants and aim at capturing their perceptions and attitudes towards work environment as well as their experiences with crime and corruption. Specific sectoral surveys are conducted within the judiciary and the police. Survey results assist in assessing needs and expectations of officers as regards their relations with the public and job satisfaction, as well as their knowledge of codes of conduct, anti-corruption rules and reporting mechanisms. |
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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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