Media Advisory: 141 Countries meeting on anti-corruption: What will they decide?

As part of its response to the persistent economic crisis, the G20 called in September for the adoption, this year, of an effective, transparent and inclusive review mechanism for the UN Convention against Corruption. This important step in the fight against corruption will be negotiated at a meeting with 141 governments party to the convention, to be held on 9-13 November in Doha, Qatar. Thus far, negotiations have reached a deadlock and it is critical that governments overcome their differences at the conference. The UN convention is the only global road-map against the systemic corruption that continues to punish the world's most vulnerable.

The current financial crisis reinforces the importance of this convention because other legal frameworks, such as the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, do not have global reach. Transparency International (TI) has submitted recommendations for the review mechanism. TI Chair Huguette Labelle will lead a civil society delegation of almost 40 TI chapters and experts to ensure that countries are not able to hide deficient implementation of anti-corruption commitments.

A review mechanism is essential to promote country implementation of the convention's requirements. These include the criminalisation of a wide range of acts including bribery, embezzlement of public funds, money-laundering and obstruction of justice. When appropriate legislation is passed and monitored, the essential building blocks for more accountable states are set.

Interviews: TI representatives and convention experts from all regions are available for interviews in Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish and other languages.

For media accreditation to the conference, click here.

Notes to editors:

The UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is the most comprehensive global legal framework for combating corruption. It is a binding agreement ratified by 141 states on standards and requirements for preventing, detecting, investigating and sanctioning corruption. The adoption of an effective review mechanism at the upcoming Conference of States Parties is essential for the success of the UNCAC. The review mechanism is a procedure by which the UN can check how effectively countries are implementing the convention. Such a mechanism has already been used successfully in the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.

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Transparency International is the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption.