IFES Helps Shape UN’s International Anti-Corruption Agenda
The United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) in June 2021 is a milestone event that will reflect on progress made under the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) since its inception. Most importantly, at the end of this session, the General Assembly has committed to producing an action-oriented political declaration to shape the international anti-corruption agenda for the coming years.
“This event … has the potential to pave the way for strengthened global anti-corruption efforts and co-ordination between organisations active in the field of anti-corruption in the years to come.”
– Secretariat of the Group of States Against Corruption
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is an accredited observer to the Conference of the States Parties to UNCAC and welcomes the opportunity to inform this agenda based on three decades of experience supporting effective and accountable governing institutions in more than 145 countries.
IFES believes that global commitment and cooperation on anti-corruption has become even more imperative as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has undermined existing transparency and accountability mechanisms globally and increased the risks of corrupt behavior. As part of our contribution to preparations for UNGASS 2021 and the development of a draft political declaration, IFES has recommended that the General Assembly include the following six priority areas in the agenda:
- Increasing transparency and accountability in political finance
- Addressing election-related corrupt practices
- Strengthening anti-corruption authorities and other independent institutions
- Strengthening judicial ethics and independence
- Leveraging civil society to bolster oversight and implementation
- Bolstering the UN Convention Against Corruption review process
Learn more and read IFES’ full recommendations.
Published on November 16, 2020.
