All times below are Sharm El-Sheikh time (EET).
El Wadi | Organizer: Interpol
The event showcased the role of the INTERPOL Anti-Corruption Unit in the fight against corruption and presented the Global Focal Point Network and the Secure Collaborative Platform (among other tools presented). Speakers from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC of Nigeria, Corruption Eradication Commission of Indonesia, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Federal Police of Brazil and the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC) shared their experience in informal law enforcement communication.
El Fayrouz | Organizer: UNDP | Co-organizer: Norway / Norad
The event discussed how illicit financial flows deriving from corruption, criminal activities, commercial tax evasion and mispriced commercial transactions divert scarce resources from development. Panellists highlighted that ODA and quality private investment play an essential role in many countries for development financing. They discussed the significant gains that could be made by strengthening efforts to curtail illicit financial flows, bribery and corruption in unlocking valuable resources for development financing. The event also discussed strategies and offered recommendations to promote coordination and strengthen policy frameworks to accelerate development financing to achieve the SDGs. Topics included transparency in beneficial ownership, tax transparency and control of corruption in public procurement.
Ste Catherine | Organizer: Germany | Co-organizers: Nigeria, Sweden
Building on UNODC's report "The Time is Now. Addressing Gender Dimensions of Corruption", co-funded by Germany and following up on discussions at UNGASS, this event discussed how gender equality can be practically anchored in and facilitated through the CoSP processes to promote gender equality through anti-corruption and vice versa.
El Wadi | Organizer: Saudi Arabia
The event discussed the existing experience, expertise, and good practices related to non-conviction-based asset forfeiture. It provided space for the participants to learn about the tools and resources developed by UNODC and the StAR Initiative.
El Fayrouz | Organizer: UNODC Corruption and Economic Crime Branch
The high-level event highlighted the vital role that national parliaments and other legislative bodies play in preventing and combating corruption. The event focused on the challenges faced and the progress made in implementing the Conference resolution 8/14. The event further showcased the measures and activities undertaken by parliamentarians from various jurisdictions concerning the development of internal procedures to strengthen integrity and accountability in the work of legislative bodies and the promotion of open parliament initiatives.
Ste Catherine | Organizer: United Kingdom | Co-organizer: Open Ownership
This event allowed the panellists to share their perspectives on different aspects of implementing beneficial ownership transparency reforms and advancements possible within the relevant UNCAC provisions. The panellists noted the global progress on beneficial ownership reform and its increased pace in the past few years. Speakers highlighted that although a lot of work remains, they are optimistic for the future and discussions such as these are invaluable in pushing this agenda forward. The event featured the following speakers: Thom Townsend (Executive Director of Open Ownership), AG Abubakar (Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Nigeria), Kristen Robinson (Head of Advocacy, Open Contracting Partnership) and Andrew Preston (Deputy Director, Joint Anti-Corruption Unit, UK Government).
Nile Valley | Organizer: IACA
The event "Engaging UNCAC Constitutes: The Global Anti-Corruption Cities Network", organized by IACA, discussed the Global Anti-Corruption Cities Network (GACCN) initiative launched by the Academy. Speakers presented the concept of the network and talked about how the network will facilitate the efforts of local authorities to prevent and fight corruption. Panellists discussed mutual support for cities and other local governments to improve their ability to mitigate corruption effectively and efficiently. The event was attended by representatives of local authorities and municipalities from Austria, Colombia and Nigeria, who presented good practices to mainstream anti-corruption strategies into community policies. They shared experiences in supporting the development of resilient anti-corruption systems, encouraging networking between like-minded entities, supporting international anti-corruption advocacy networks, facilitating access to a network of research and mitigating tools from other anti-corruption cities and contributing to the integration of global actions through sharing resources.
El Wadi | Organizer: Egypt
The event highlighted the role of the financial intelligence units in combating illicit financial flows in the financial and banking systems under international conventions and standards related to combating corruption, money laundering and financing of terrorism.
El Fayrouz | Organizer: UNODC Corruption and Economic Crime Branch
The event "Strengthening the role of education and youth in the fight against corruption" showcased the work of UNODC on engaging youth and promoting anti-corruption, integrity and ethics education at all levels. UNODC officially launched its new Global Resource for Anti-Corruption Education and Youth Empowerment (GRACE) initiative during that event. The initiative seeks to promote a culture of integrity and fairness through education and youth empowerment and equip youth with the necessary skills to apply and spread these norms in their life, work and society in line with the mandate of the Political Declaration adopted at the Special session of the General Assembly against corruption in June 2021. The event also demonstrated how UNODC helps today's youth become the integrity leaders of tomorrow by presenting the outcomes of the Coding4Integrity hackathon for young developers from Africa. The hackathon was held virtually before the 9th session of the Conference of the State Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption. The hackathon winners from Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa were among the event's panellists and had the opportunity to present their projects to the participating delegates.
Ste Catherine | Organizer: Algeria
The event presented an opportunity to present Algeria efforts to re-establish its legal and institutional anti-corruption system. Examples of measures taken included the 2020's Constitutional amendment that promoted the fight against corruption; establishment of a High Authority for Transparency, Prevention and Fight against Corruption; moralization of public life; strengthening the capacities of the civil society to prevent and fight corruption; and digitalization as an efficient tool in the fight against corruption.
Nile Valley | Organizer: UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub | Co-organizer: World Economic Forum / PACI, Covestro Mexico, Alliance for Integrity, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji
The panel discussion "Women Drivers for Fair and Ethical Business" explored how business integrity with a gender perspective and anti-corruption policies driven by women business leaders create impact. The side event was organized by UNDP FairBiz in collaboration with UNDP Fiji Office, the Alliance for Integrity, Covestro and the World Economic Forum Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) and brought together a diverse and distinguished panel of women leaders sharing examples from Ghana, Palau, Mexico and Thailand: Ms. Irene Olkeriil, President and ChairLady, Palau Chamber of Commerce (PCOC), Dr. Soipetch Resanond, Vice-Chair of the Federation of Business Professional Women of Thailand, Ms. Linda Ofori-Kwafo, Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative and Ms. Erika Diaz, Head of Law, Intellectual Property and Compliance, Covestro Mexico. The webinar presented an opportunity to share pioneering and practical resources in the field of gender and anti-corruption, such as the Anti-Corruption Toolkit for Palau's Women Entrepreneurs developed by the Palau Chamber of Commerce, Thailand's Women Leadership in Business Integrity Training, the Integrity Coffee of the Alliance for Integrity and others. The speakers generated an inspiring and authentic discussion on empowering women to drive the business integrity agenda. Key recommendations from the panel included: a) raising more awareness on the nexus between gender and anti-corruption, b) capacity-building on empowering young women entrepreneurs to be changemakers, c) engaging women leaders as role models for ethical businesses, d) advocating and initiating dialogue with the public sector, and lastly e) ensuring that the government encourages the private sector through additional incentives to foster more gender-sensitive policies. The participants in the event actively contributed to the discussion with questions and examples.
El Wadi | Organizer: UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia | Co-organizers: Uzbekistan, UNODC Civil Society Unit
The event demonstrated the results achieved through a combined effort by UNODC, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan, including the civil society's input. In Uzbekistan, UNODC delivered a regional multi-stakeholder training on the Convention and its Implementation Review Mechanism, provided support for anti-corruption research, supported the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Agency's Public Council and engaged youth in these endeavours.
El Farouz | Organizer: Somalia
The goal of this event was to map the progress made in enhancing integrity and sustaining development in post-conflict environments despite multifaceted challenges. The event identified challenges and lessons learned in the fight against corruption in Somalia, the factors that made progress possible despite the multidimensional problems faced in a post-conflict environment. The event further examined the current trends in the fight against corruption, particularly measures implemented to mitigate corruption; and the need to ingrain effective coordination and fight against corruption in the various institutional reform processes. It also highlighted the opportunities to sustain integrity enhancement in the institutional building.
Ste Catherine | Organizer: Centre for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) | Co-organizer: Norway (Norad), U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre
Anti-corruption practitioners often face push-back: from personal attacks to a systematic undermining of anti-corruption institutions. Building on the experiences and contributions shared by several organizations and institutions and highlighting the link between corruption and human rights, this event discussed the establishment of a Special UN Rapporteur on anti-corruption and its possible mandate. Panellists pointed out that such a mandate may focus on examining, monitoring, advising, and publicly reporting major right infringements of those fighting corruption. Thus it would support a process where anti-corruption considerations become officially part of the UN human rights architecture.
Nile Valley | Organizer: Slovenia | Co-organizer: Brazil
The event demonstrated how to practically implement the Convention and the 2021 UNGASS political declaration, focusing on the transparency of financing of the public sector, using digital tools and open data. Panellists discussed the role of digital platforms with databases on public sector finances, including public procurement and public health data related to COVID-19. The importance of proactive transparency as a tool for corruption prevention was also outlined. Panellists highlighted that such transparency is crucial for building trust among citizens concerning investment projects, showing visible benefits, particularly in times of emergencies and crisis. The event was organized by the Government of Slovenia and the Brazilian Federal Government in collaboration with UNODC, OECD and the World Bank.