Achieving Consensus: Global Standards for Political Finance

Each State Party shall also consider taking appropriate legislative and administrative measures, consistent with the objectives of this Convention and in accordance with the fundamental principles of its domestic law, to enhance transparency in the funding of candidates for elected public office and, where applicable the funding of political parties.

--Article 7 (3) of the United Nation’s Convention against Corruption

Through its program on Political Finance and Public Ethics and with the support of the United Nations Democracy Fund, IFES is assembling a coalition of researchers, experts, anti-corruption activists, and practitioners in the field of political finance to develop a set of global standards that clarify and define article 7 (3), both within the context of the Convention and the emerging set of global best-practices. IFES will prepare a brief document - Global Standards for Political Finance - that will be complemented by a larger document that explains each point in greater detail. IFES seeks to present these materials as a non-binding document for consideration and approval by a wide range of stakeholders from around the world. Once consensus is achieved, in partnership with Transparency International, IFES will launch Agenda 2009 – a global effort to disseminate the new standards to governmental and non-governmental stakeholders.

To ensure that as much expertise as possible is used to inform this project, and to benefit from the experiences of experts from all over the world working with everything from enforcement and monitoring to research, IFES has created an Advisory Group for the project. A total of 60 leading experts have accepted our invitation to share their knowledge about issues relating to political finance.

As a part of Agenda 2009, IFES is developing a series of Policy Papers which will contextualise and expand on key understandings in political finance. Fundamental questions arising from each such paper are put to the Advisory Group, and consolidated versions of their answers will be available on these pages. Below are links to the various discussion issues that the Advisory Group has addressed, as well as responses from select members of the group.

Discussion Issue 1: Financial Disclosure
Discussion Issue 2: Key Understandings of Political Finance
Discussion Issue 3 and 4: Public Funding and Enforcement