The tenth anniversary of UNCAC was celebrated by civil society during the fifth session of the Conference of the States Parties (CoSP5) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which was held in Panama City from 24 to 29 November 2013.
Celebration of 10 th UNCAC anniversary |
Over 170 civil society organization (CSO) representatives from over 40 organizations participated in the Conference. This international gathering looked at a diversity of topics such as asset recovery, technical assistance, international cooperation and match-fixing, but also the involvement of civil society and private sector in the UNCAC review process.
In his opening statement, UNODC Executive Director called the Convention the bedrock for achieving genuine and lasting success in the fight against corruption and underlined the valuable role played by civil society in the review mechanism, which had already produced tangible results.
Prior to the Conference, over 70 CSO representatives participated in a full-day briefing session jointly organized by UNODC and the UNCAC Coalition, which introduced the Conference rules of procedure and provided CSOs with an opportunity to strategize on their participation.
Throughout the week, CSOs organized daily coordination meetings and a number of special events which allowed to share experiences of CSO involvement in the UNCAC review process from different countries. It was highlighted that the success of the participation of civil society in the review mechanism at country level is often driven by CSOs' proactive stand in approaching their governments. This is often the result of the training UNODC has jointly carried out with Transparency International, which provided CSOs with the knowledge and tools to participate meaningfully in the process.
During a special event, organized by Christian Aid, a message on beneficial company ownership from the former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was broadcasted, where he urged governments to take a stand against corruption by establishing public registries showing the true owners of companies registered within their jurisdiction. In addition, CSO representatives had the opportunity to deliver several oral statements in the plenary session and to organize a variety of activities such as asset recovery games and anti-corruption song.
UNCAC Coalition slogan on "End Impunity" |