The UNCAC Civil Society Coalition, composed of almost 200 organizations committed to fighting corruption and promoting human rights worldwide, has learned of the intention of UNESCO to award a Prize for Research in the Life Sciences, sponsored by and named after Mr. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, based on funding from a source connected to President Obiang. We believe that the creation of this award and the resulting endorsement of Mr. Obiang are fundamentally contrary to the spirit and principles of the United Nations, as well as to UNESCO's constitutional goals, and hereby express our firm opposition to the establishment of this Prize. ]]> Kelly McCarthy Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:48:40 +0000 http://www.uncaccoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108%3Aqtell-us-what-youave-doneq-initiative&Itemid=1&lang=en A new global access to information initiative was launched on 3 May to mark World Press Freedom Day and will test how easy (or not) it is to obtain information from 35 governments (*) on their anti-corruption efforts.

The Tell us what you've done! Initiative, initiated by Access Info Europe and Transparency International (TI) is an attempt to verify whether governments are complying with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and other anti-corruption conventions. Starting immediately, simultaneous information requests will be submitted in 30 countries by TI chapters and members of two coalitions, the Freedom of Information Advocates Network and the UNCAC Coalition.

 The aim is to see how transparent governments are about their anti-corruption efforts under the anti-corruption treaties they have signed on to. Results will be presented in 2011 at the 4th UNCAC Conference of States Parties in Morocco. ]]> Gillian Dell Tue, 18 May 2010 08:24:16 +0000 http://www.uncaccoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104%3Acoalition-attends-xii-un-crime-congress&Itemid=1&lang=en On April 14, 2010 members of the UNCAC Coalition hosted a side meeting during the XII UN Crime Congress in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil to discuss opportunities for civil society action in the context of the upcoming UNCAC Review process.
The objective of the meeting was to raise awareness about the UN Convention against Corruption among civil society and government participants to the XII UN Crime Congress, and seek opportunities to build bridges with other civil society groups present at the event.
]]> Andrea Figari Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:16:24 +0000 http://www.uncaccoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=103%3Anew-videos-from-uncac-cosp2&Itemid=1&lang=en In January 2010, TI launched a 4-part video series "Scenes from a Global Anti Corruption Summit" This collection of short videos documents civil society involvement at the 2nd UNCAC Conference of States Parties in Indonesia in 2008 and showcases interviews with civil society participants . We invite you to check out the videos for an introduction to UNCAC, the Coalition and the CoSP!