UN Anti-Corruption Conference in Morocco: civil society will claim seat at the table in Marrakesh
Anti-corruption advocates and representatives from 154 states are gathering from 24 to 28 October 2011 in Marrakesh, Morocco, for the fourth session of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to discuss progress in implementing the Convention and countering corruption globally.
Transparency International and the UNCAC Coalition, a network of over 310 civil society organisations, will be there in force to remind governments of our message: that they must be accountable to their citizens, that they need to include citizens and civil society groups in the Convention process, and that key documents such as progress assessments must be made public.
With the Arab Spring in mind, Transparency International and other civil society organisations are also calling for action to step up the recovery of stolen assets and for more robust anti-money laundering measures, under the banner: "Return stolen public assets now!"
What civil society is asking for
To guide future work, government delegates will adopt forward-looking resolutions aimed at making the UNCAC an effective framework for collective action against corruption.
Civil society organisations are asking States Parties to adopt resolutions:
- Improving civil society participation and transparency in the UNCAC review mechanism, which looks at how well countries are implementing the Convention;
- On the return of stolen assets to the real victims of corruption, the people, and on preventing the laundering of the proceeds of corruption
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Visit our blog to learn about developments in Marrakesh as they unfold and tell us what you think needs to happen.
Civil society participation and transparency
During the Marrakesh conference, there will be a spotlight on the UNCAC review process, adopted in 2009 and now entering its second year. The review process measures countries’ progress in implementing the Convention, and can highlight areas where more effort is required for a state to meet its obligations.
Transparency International has submitted a resolution to the Conference calling on signatory states to improve civil society participation and transparency in the review process. To that end, governments should meet with civil society representatives during review team country visits and publish full review reports. The UNCAC Coalition presented the same demands in its statement on Article 13 that seeks to remind that: "Transparency and public participation in UNCAC implementation and monitoring are key to success".
Civil society parallel review reports
As a contribution to the UNCAC Intergovernmental Review process in their respective countries, several civil society organisations prepared parallel UNCAC review reports. Parallel, or shadow, reports are a means for NGOs and other civil society groups to provide alternate assessments to those contained in a government’s official report.
Parallel reports on Argentina, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Chile, Lithuania, Mongolia, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Ukraine, the United States and Vietnam have been submitted to the Conference of States Parties and will be published in Marrakesh on 26 October.
A burning issue related to the review process that will be debated is whether to allow civil society organisations to participate in the Implementation Review Group (IRG) meetings as observers.
What would observers add to the IRG?
The Implementation Review Group or IRG is a subsidiary body of the UNCAC that oversees the UNCAC review process. Up until now, civil society observers have not been permitted to attend IRG meetings.
Allowing participation of civil society observers in the IRG and enabling them to make submissions to the IRG would ensure the transparency and inclusiveness of the UNCAC review mechanism. Moreover, given the key role of the IRG in the planning and assessment of the review process, it is essential that the IRG obtain adequate input from civil society organisations.
Such involvement is provided for in Rule 17 of the UNCAC Conference of States Parties Rules of Procedure which permits civil society groups to participate in meetings as observers and to make submissions. The UN Office of Legal Affairs issued a Legal Opinion in August 2010 stating that NGOs could participate as observers at IRG plenary sessions under the same procedural rule (Rule 17) that is applied to the sessions of the Conference of States Parties. As such it can only be overruled by a decision of the Conference.
For more information, see the UNCAC Coalition's November 2010 "Call for the UNCAC Implementation Review Group, UNCAC States Parties and UNODC to ensure a transparent and participatory UNCAC review mechanism"
Asset recovery
Another critical issue that will be examined by the signatory states is asset recovery. As the fourth Conference of State Parties to the UNCAC convenes in Marrakesh, Morocco, and people throughout the Arab world struggle to get back their countries' stolen wealth, Transparency International and the UNCAC Coalition are calling on States Parties to adopt resolutions to fulfil their commitment to Chapter V of the Convention by removing barriers to asset recovery and improving their anti-money laundering efforts in practice. (See the UNCAC Coalition Statement on Promoting Asset Recovery and Countering Laundering of Corruptly Taken Assets)
“With the revolution in Libya and elections in Tunisia, the Convention has perhaps never been more relevant and a meeting in North Africa more fitting,” said Slagjana Taseva, Chair of the UNCAC Coalition, speaking from Marrakesh. “At the same time, the far-flung assets of the Qaddafi, Mubarak and Ben Ali families show why fighting corruption must be a cross-border, globalised undertaking.”
Watch all four videos from the series
What you can do
Write a blog entry, post to Facebook or Twitter, or link to us (www.transparency.org) to spread the word about the UN Convention and the need for an effective review mechanism.
Find out more
Read the press release: Civil society role crucial to success of global anti-corruption convention
Press conference, 24 October, Marrakesh: Transparency International on UN Convention against Corruption and return of stolen assets
Read the Resolution on the Arab Spring passed by the TI Movement at its Annual Membership Meeting in October 2011
Click here to find:
- More information on the fourth Conference of States Parties
- Information on previous Conferences
- UNCAC Coalition Statements
Click here to find more information on the UNCAC review process
UNODC and UN Convention against Corruption
State Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption
UN Global Compact and CEO campaign letter
Download
UNCAC Coalition Statement on Promoting Asset Recovery and Countering Laundering of Corruptly Taken Assets
in Arabic - Chinese - English - French - Russian - Spanish
UNCAC Coalition Statement on Article 13
in Arabic - Chinese - English - French - Russian - Spanish
UNCAC Coalition's November 2010 "Call for the UNCAC Implementation Review Group, UNCAC States Parties and UNODC to ensure a transparent and participatory UNCAC review mechanism"
in Arabic - English - French - Russian - Spanish
Press contact(s):
Jesse Garcia
+49 30 34 38 20 666
press@transparency.org
