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NGOs take the Road to Marrakech: Active participation of civil society at the Conference of the States Parties
October 2011 – 200 NGO representatives participated in the fourth Conference of the States Parties (CoSP4) which took place from 24-28 October in Marrakech, Morocco, and contributed meaningfully to the various activities related to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). This year’s Conference looked at ways to improve international cooperation to tackle corruption and strengthen integrity. Member States also addressed the issue of civil society participation in the Implementation Review Group (IRG). The Conference decided that civil society briefings shall be conducted on the margins of the sessions of the Group to further promote a constructive dialogue with NGOs and to draw upon useful contributions from them. Speaking about the role of civil society in his opening statement, the Executive Director stressed that as “fighting corruption is everyone's business, we need the assistance of civil society to resist corruption, build a culture of integrity, and deliver change.”
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CSO action during the CoSP 4 |
The UNCAC is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument that devotes an entire article (Article 13) on participation of civil society. The Conference addressed key issues regarding the review of the implementation of the Convention, asset recovery and prevention, but also discussed the role young people can play in tackling corruption and the question of how to develop their knowledge of ethical standards. On the last day, the Conference adopted the "Marrakech Declaration on Prevention of Corruption", which calls on states to do more to prevent corruption. The Declaration recognizes that corruption is a serious impediment to reducing poverty and endangers the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
Prior to the Conference, over 100 NGO representatives participated in the briefing session for CSOs - the Civil Society Preparatory Meeting - on Sunday 23 October, which introduced NGOs to the rules and procedures of the Conference. Numerous NGO representatives also took the opportunity to attend the daily briefing sessions. The UNCAC Coalition, UNODC's CSO partner umbrella organization (on issues related to the Convention), also organized a series of special events entitled "Best Practices in Implementation and Monitoring of UNCAC", which took place on 25, 26 and 27 October.
These special events addressed topics including transparency and CSO participation in the UNCAC review process; the right of access to information, including information required in the UNCAC review process; the involvement of citizens and elected representatives in the fight against corruption; and best practices on the implementation of article 13 of UNCAC and on the protection of witnesses and whistleblowers. A further panel dealt with best practices on asset recovery and anti-money laundering. Panelists spoke on aspects of the two UNCAC Coalition statements submitted to the CoSP4, one on Article 13 and one on Asset recovery and anti-money laundering. All the panels highlighted the importance of civil society engagement in anti-corruption activities.
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UNODC and civil society against drug dependence and crime: The fifty-fourth Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the twentieth session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
“We regard the NGO community as a key partner and a powerful voice in reaching the people whom UNODC ultimately works to serve” said UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, at the 54th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna. Mr. Fedotov expressed his support for NGOs’ work some weeks later at the 20th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), where he pointed out that UNDOC needs the civil society community in order to fulfil its mandate.
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ppUNODC Executive Director and NGO Representatives during the Commission onNarcotic Drugs (21-25 March 2011) |
The presence and active involvement of civil society representatives in the international policy debate is a major goal of the “Looking Beyond” Project, which was properly served by the participation of 168 representatives from 76 NGOs at the CND, and 101 representatives from nearly 50 NGOs at the CCPCJ. The involvement of NGOs during the two Commissions provided a powerful voice for civil society in several bilateral and multilateral negotiations. According to Michel Perron, the Chairman of the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC), “local NGOs are working hard alongside their national governments to make a difference in the lives of those affected by drugs and drug policy.”
“The CND annual session is an important event and we need to ensure that decisions taken there reflect the reality of what needs to be done in my country, while taking into consideration experience from around the globe,” said another NGO delegate. Representatives of civil society not only attended plenary sessions and side events, but also actively participated in round table discussions with Member States. UNDOC’s newly appointed Goodwill Ambassador, Christopher Kennedy Lawford, took part in many of these events and met with several NGO representatives to learn more about their experiences with victims of drug abuse.
In addition, the UNODC Civil Society Team and the VNGOC organized the side event “Building on Beyond 2008 Recommendations: Partnerships for Effective Drug Policy”. Representatives of three NGOs from Argentina, the Kyrgyz Republic and Senegal reported on the lessons learnt from "Beyond 2008". They identified effective ways forward for Member States and civil society to work together in the development and implementation of evidence and practice based drug policies. All NGOs highlighted the positive support of UNODC and VNGOC which made it possible for them to get involved in the relevant decision and policy-making process.
The fruitful participation of NGOs in central policy making bodies within the United Nations was also marked three weeks later during the CCPCJ in Vienna. Michael Platzer, head of the Vienna Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, expressed the important and indispensable role of NGOs in creating and applying UNODC’s basic norms of crime prevention and criminal justice.
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ppSide event "Religion in Prison" during the CCPCJ (11-15 April 2011) |
Both Member States and civil society actors participated in several NGO-organized side events, such as “Religion in Prison” which focused on basic principles of religious assistance in prisons and freedom of religion in prisons. Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, attended this event along side a number of religious leaders of different denominations. Another CCPCJ side event titled “Ratification of the Firearms Protocol and EU States,” organized by ACUNS, the World Society of Victimology, Small Arms Survey and UNODC addressed illegal arms trafficking and the need to establish international standards for exporting weapons.
During an informal dialogue with NGOs, Mr. Fedotov underlined the need to push forward the relationship between UNODC and civil society in order to confront challenges together. “Don’t hesitate to contact me or my staff,” said Mr. Fedotov.
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Anti-corruption NGOs receive training and tools on UNCAC and its Review Mechanism
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Participants receiving training in Laxenburg |
An NGO training to strengthen civil society capacity on the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and its Review Mechanism was jointly organized by UNODC and Transparency International.
The event was held from 2 to 4 February in the newly inaugurated International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), in Laxenburg, Austria.
Some 35 delegates from NGOs specialized in protecting citizens against corruption studied and practiced the application of the articles of the Convention during the three days. They discussed how to contribute to their country review mechanism.
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Civil Society UNCAC Training, 2-4 February 2011 |
These civil society representatives came from the countries undergoing the first year of review of the UNCAC (Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Fiji, Indonesia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Niger, Peru, Rwanda, Togo, Uganda and Zambia) and the second year of review (Sierra Leone, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Georgia, El Salvador, Colombia, United Kingdom, Portugal, Switzerland). Regional experts from the Middle East and Latin America also attended. This was the first ever training on UNCAC and its Review mechanism organized for NGOs. For more on this topic, please read the webstory.
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NGO participation to the fifth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Palermo Convention, 18 - 22 October 2010, Vienna
More than 120 delegates from a total of 44 Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) attended the Fifth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (CTOC/COP 5), which was held from 18 to 22 October 2010 in Vienna, Austria. The intergovernmental conference discussed the implementation of the Convention and its three Protocols, namely the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air and the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms. The session opened with a high-level segment commemorating the tenth anniversary of the signature of the Convention in Palermo.
Fifty NGOs took the opportunity of the Conference to present a Joint Statement, addressing the need to establish a victim-centred review mechanism to the Palermo Convention that is both inclusive and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders.
Mr. Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director, who met with NGOs in an informal dialogue session held on 20 October, praised the contribution of NGOs, saying: "Your testimony is crucial in the international debate on the prevention of organized crime and the protection of its victims". The informal dialogue is an important part of UNODC’s engagement with civil society and was the first official event with NGOs held by the Executive Director since he took office.
Furthermore, a significant number of side events and exhibitions have been coordinated by NGOs, covering: victim-centred responses to human trafficking; gangs, armed groups, and guns; and organised crime, white collar crime and corruption. In addition, a demonstration of anti-human trafficking training for prosecutors was held.
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Civil Society Organizations played an active role at the Twelfth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, 12-19 April 2010, Salvador, Brazil
Over 250 representatives of 46 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from all over the world participated in the Twelfth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice which was held in Salvador, Brazil, from 12 to 19 April 2010. At the first NGO coordination meeting, the group agreed to develop a joint NGO Statement for presentation to the high-level segment of the Congress. The statement (doc) called for just and humane responses to both the victims and the perpetrators of crime addressing also juvenile issues, the access to justice and fair treatment as well as the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
Eighty-two ancillary meetings, summarized in a booklet, took place during the Crime Congress, covering such critical issues as access to justice, crime prevention, human rights, restorative justice, women, terrorism, human trafficking, cyber crime, juvenile justice, transparency and corruption. The UNODC Civil Society Team together with the UNCAC Coalition: A Global Civil Society Network organized an ancillary meeting on "Engagement of Civil Society in the UNCAC Review: Latin American Perspectives" to raise awareness of the UNCAC in Latin America and promote the Convention's review mechanism. This meeting discussed opportunities for civil society action in the upcoming UNCAC review process, lessons learned from both inside and outside the anti-corruption movement about monitoring and participation, and the need for benchmarks and performance indicators to assess progress. An informal discussion on the UNCAC implementation review process also took place. Regional CSOs proved to be very active in the discussion, sharing their experiences and committing to following the region's best practices in the implementation of UNCAC in their own countries.