13th IRG

The 13th session of the Implementation Review Group (IRG), as well as meetings of the UNCAC Working Group on Prevention, are taking place in the week of 13-17 June 2022: 

  • The IRG will discuss the performance of the review mechanism, the state of implementation of the UNCAC, technical assistance, and follow-up to the UN General Assembly special session (UNGASS) against corruption.
  • The UNCAC Working group on Prevention will discuss good practices and prevention initiatives, with a focus on i) promoting the use of technology for UNCAC implementation and, ii) anti-corruption awareness-raising, education, training, and research.

Annual UNCAC NGO Briefing: Wed, 15 June

The annual briefing for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) by UNODC on the outcomes of the UNCAC review process and thematic reports will take place on 15 June 2022, from 13:15 to 15:00 in a hybrid format.

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The annual NGO briefing is the only formal opportunity for civil society representatives to engage with the UNCAC Secretariat (UNODC) and representatives of States Parties in-between sessions of the UNCAC Conference of the States Parties: NGO representatives can pose questions to the UNCAC Secretariat, highlight their UNCAC-related work, as well as general findings and concerns, and engage with participating representatives of States Parties. During the briefing, the Secretariat will brief participants on the UNCAC review mechanism and on thematic reports on the implementation of the Convention. In line with UNCAC CoSP resolution 4/6, no specific country situations can be discussed during the briefing.

Civil Society Events in the week of the June 2022: meetings of the UNCAC Implementation Review Group and the Working Group on Prevention

The Path to Ending Opaque Company Ownership: Tracing Stolen Assets and Preventing Corruption through Beneficial Ownership Transparency

Organized by the UNCAC Coalition and Transparency International, sponsored by Norway.

Time & place: Thursday, June 16, 09:00-10:00 CET , Room M3, M-Building, United Nations Office Vienna.
Hybrid event : to join via Zoom , register here

Event objective: The event will highlight the impact of beneficial ownership transparency in tracing stolen assets, in particular the importance of full public access to the ownership information through central registries, empowering international investigations by law-enforcement and journalists. The event will discuss latest developments on advancing beneficial ownership transparency, including the recently updated recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Furthermore, speakers will discuss beneficial ownership transparency in the context of addressing the role of enablers who facilitate transnational corruption involving vast quantities of assets.

List of speakers:

● Betzy Marie Ellingsen Tunold, Policy Director, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
● Maíra Martini, Research and Policy Expert on corrupt money flows, Transparency International
● Petra Blum, investigative reporter, Westdeutscher Rundfunk WDR (Germany)
● Frederik Fabricius Smitt, Senior Data Scientist, Danish Financial Intelligence Unit SCU – Special Crime Unit

Moderator: Mathias Huter, Managing Director, UNCAC Coalition

Preventing Corruption through Open Contracting: Good Practices for UNGASS Procurement Implementation

Organized by Open Contracting Partnership, sponsored by the United States.

Time & place: Thursday, 16 June, 14:00-15:00 CET , Room M3, M-Building, United Nations Office Vienna.
Hybrid event : to join via Zoom , register here

Event objective: This event will focus on procurement transparency as a central part of corruption prevention featuring government and civil society perspectives from three regions. Speakers will discuss how open contracting can advance UNGASS implementation through partnerships, data and digital transformation.

List of speakers: 

  • Pablo Seitz, Director of the National Directorate of Public Procurement of Paraguay (DNCP)
  • Aliyu Aliyu, Director, Regulation, Database and ICT of the Bureau of Public Procurement Nigeria
  • Nkem Ilo, CEO, Public & Private Development Centre, Nigeria
  • Maria Sara Jijón, General Director of National Public Contracts Service (SERCOP), Ecuador
  • Speaker confirmation forthcoming, United Kingdom
  • Kristen Robinson, Open Contracting Partnership

Moderator: Kellen McClure, Anticorruption Advisor, US Department of State

At the Heart of the Struggle: Human Rights Defenders Working Against Corruption – Strengthening civil society participation in the UNCAC

Organized by the UNCAC Coalition, sponsored by Switzerland and Chile.

Time & place: Friday, June 17, 14:00-15:00 CET , Room M3, M-Building, United Nations Office Vienna.
Hybrid event: to join via Zoom , register here

For more details, please see this concept note (.pdf).

Event objective: This event will discuss the findings and recommendations of UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor’s recent report on human rights defenders working against corruption, entitled “At the heart of the struggle: human rights defenders working against corruption”, in particular how they relate to the UNCAC. The event will also discuss opportunities to strengthen the participation of civil society in the UNCAC Conference of the States Parties and showcase efforts by the UNCAC Coalition to support civil society contributions to national UNCAC reviews, for example, through civil society parallel reports on UNCAC implementation. Furthermore, it will discuss efforts and ideas to improve the transparency and inclusiveness of the review process, including through the Coalition’s Transparency Pledge and an access to information campaign.

List of speakers: 

  • Martin Matter, Head of Economic Affairs Section, Prosperity and Sustainability Division, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland
  • Nayareth Calfulaf, Analyst from the Cooperation and International Relations Unit, Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Chile
  • Brian Dooley, Senior Advisor to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
  • Danella Newman, Project Manager, UNCAC Coalition
  • Denyse Degiorgio, Project Officer, UNCAC Coalition

Moderator: Mathias Huter, Managing Director, UNCAC Coalition

UNCAC Coalition submissions to the 13th IRG

The UNCAC Coalition has made several written submissions to the IRG. Our submissions highlight key challenges and best practice approaches, and include recommendations for States Parties to advance the fight against corruption through the following:

Due to the highly restrictive practice around that UNCAC NGO briefing, barring submissions must not mention a country by name, the following submissions were not accepted by the UNCAC Secretariat: