Civil society organizations concerned with anti-corruption and transparency issues play an indispensable role in each phase of a convention. To strengthen this role, it is important that civil society works together with both the public and private sectors.

The participation of civil society organizations is crucial in the process of drafting conventions due to their specialized knowledge concerning gaps in law and their practical knowledge from experience in combating corruption.

It is also important that citizens exert pressure upon their governments to ratify, implement, and execute the standards established by anti-corruption conventions. Citizens must work with governments and other actors to achieve these goals and ensure the conventions have an impact on society at the national or regional level.

Civil society has a responsibility to raise awareness about the existence of anti-corruption conventions and to monitor the compliance of the governments who have ratified with the legal and institutional standards.

Transparency International (TI) in the Americas is guiding the work of civil society on the hemisphere's anti-corruption conventions. In particular, TI has concentrated its attention upon the anti-corruption conventions of the United Nations, of the Organizations for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (OAS); making an intense effort to engage in dialogue with the public and private sectors.

TI's regional conventions program focuses on initiating and strengthening civil society campaigns at the regional and national levels, empowering civil society to use the conventions as critical vehicles for change. TI is grateful for the financial support of different institutions which has made our work on anti-corruption conventions possible: Avina Foundation, Merck and Open Society Institute

Learn about the work of civil society as it relates to:

• The OAS Inter-American Convention against Corruption
• The United Nations Convention against Corruption
• The OECD Convention on Combating Bribery