–– 19 December 2025, Doha, Qatar ––
As the 11th Session of the Conference of the States Parties (CoSP11) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in Doha, Qatar, is concluding, we, over 60 civil society organizations from over 35 countries, having participated in the Conference as observers and as an integral part of the fight against corruption, in accordance with Article 13 of the UNCAC, present the following statement.
- We recognize the efforts by Qatar as the host to facilitate an inclusive Conference that involved non-governmental stakeholders from all sectors and for enabling the organization of a Civil Society Preparatory Day ahead of the CoSP, in cooperation with UNODC and in line with the good practice established at the previous session of the Conference. Despite the challenges currently facing civil society, including initial objections to the participation of several non-governmental groups that created uncertainty regarding their participation, no standing objections remained at the opening of the Conference (one objection was only resolved because the organization withdrew its registration). As a result, many organizations were ultimately able to participate, leading to a high level of civil society participation.
- The contributions of non-governmental stakeholders – through side events, more than 50 written submissions, plenary statements and exchanges with delegations – demonstrated the important role of civil society in the UNCAC CoSP and the substantive contributions we have made to inform resolutions adopted by the Conference that raise agreed standards in the fight against corruption. We therefore call on future host countries to take all necessary measures to ensure a safe, enabling and inclusive environment for civil society participation, free from discrimination based on nationality or background, and to facilitate timely access to visas and financial support.
- We also welcome the meaningful engagement by many States Parties with civil society during this CoSP, such as by including civil society experts in their delegations, through joint side events, bilateral meetings, and the informal exchange of views.
- We are encouraged that many States Parties share the ambition of creating a more transparent, inclusive, efficient and effective next phase of the UNCAC Implementation Review Mechanism (IRM), which will start in 2027. We welcome the resolution on the next phase of the UNCAC IRM, which will provide for a higher level of transparency and lower the barrier for civil society contributions, including through a calendar of reviews. The IRM will also include structured, public but voluntary follow-up reporting, also calling on States to publish the full review reports and to reflect sources and contributions from civil society. These changes, alongside other technical improvements, will contribute to a more effective, transparent and impactful review process. We call on all States Parties to fully implement the voluntary aspects of the resolution, involve civil society and other non-governmental stakeholders in ongoing and future reviews, as well as follow-up, and to work towards a culture of transparency and inclusiveness in the next phase of the IRM.
- We recognize efforts made by a number of States Parties to advance the implementation of the UNCAC by proposing and supporting resolutions on key topics. These include political finance, preventing and combating corruption as it relates to crimes that affect the environment, climate finance, the importance of education and the involvement of the youth in anti-corruption efforts, improving the measurement of corruption and the effectiveness of corruption prevention measures, and the importance of cooperation between Anti-Corruption Agencies and Financial Intelligence Units for anti-corruption and asset recovery, among other issues.
- In particular, we welcome that States Parties take proactive steps to implement Article 7.3 of the UNCAC on preventing corruption through transparency in the funding of political parties and election campaigns by adopting the first-ever resolution on political finance. This resolution advances globally agreed principles on transparent financing of political parties and campaigns, including on donations and expenditures, that will be supported by strong and independent oversight bodies. The resolution also encourages inter-agency information sharing and collaboration to strengthen enforcement, and engagement with non-state actors such as civil society organizations and electoral monitoring mechanisms to strengthen transparency in practice. We look forward to observing and supporting States Parties in their efforts to advance transparency in practice, in line with the principles of the resolution.
- We welcome States’ efforts to include asset recovery within a resolution focused on the cooperation between anti-corruption bodies and financial intelligence units, including on the need to strengthen cooperation, capacity, intelligence and data transparency in anti-corruption and asset recovery. We nevertheless call on States Parties to commit to a dedicated resolution on asset recovery at the next CoSP to ensure that important developments in past years are not kept to the margins.
- We welcome the resolution on follow-up to the Marrakech Declaration on the Prevention of Corruption, which recognizes the negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights. The resolution highlights that improvements in the promotion and protection of human rights at the domestic level play a central role in combating corruption at all levels. It calls on States Parties to promote the active participation of civil society in corruption prevention, to guarantee access to information to enhance cooperation between national anti-corruption and other institutions through the exchange of information, and the development of joint strategies and plans of action to prevent corruption and mitigate its adverse impacts, including on the enjoyment of human rights.
- Furthermore, we welcome the Doha Declaration on strengthening international cooperation in the use of artificial intelligence to prevent and combat corruption, especially as it expresses determination to realize its potential and manage its risks, including through strengthened regulation and human oversight, engagement with relevant stakeholders, and addressing the challenges to the participation of women in anti-corruption initiatives.
- We acknowledge States’ efforts to create opportunities for the meaningful involvement of young people as key actors in corruption prevention, as envisaged in a dedicated resolution on strengthening youth integrity through education.
- We welcome that States Parties adopted by consensus a resolution that addresses the links between corruption and crimes that affect the environment and strengthens enforcement efforts and international cooperation to investigate and prosecute corruption that drives these crimes. It additionally promotes anti-corruption tools to address crimes that affect the environment, including beneficial ownership, transparent procurement, or the role of corruption enablers. We are disappointed that this resolution does not provide for measures to protect environmental defenders.
- Furthermore, we appreciate that States recognize the importance of reinforcing governance of climate finance in a resolution dedicated to strengthening the implementation of the UNCAC in Small Island Developing States, which acknowledges that climate change poses an existential threat to small island developing States, and encourages enhancing transparency, accountability, and integrity of climate finance through addressing corruption risks.
- In light of the interconnected crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, it is essential to further improve transparency and accountability in the management, allocation and use of climate and environmental funds, as well as in climate finance reporting, across UNCAC State Parties. Moreover, ensuring meaningful public participation is crucial to effectively mitigate corruption risks and protect communities from harm. The impact corruption has on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment also needs to be clearly recognized.
- Some of these resolutions build on recent international commitments, including the Sevilla Commitment adopted at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, in which States pledged to eradicate corruption in all its forms and at all levels, address financial integrity, and integrate anti-corruption as a cross-cutting priority to strengthen public sector integrity and public trust, while supporting the role of the media and civil society in fairly, transparently and ethically exposing illicit financial flows.
Shrinking civic space and risks to effective anti-corruption efforts - We are deeply concerned by the repressive actions taken by numerous States Parties against individuals and organizations working to expose corruption, promote transparency, and hold those in power to account. Support for a truly inclusive approach to fighting corruption and ensuring a safe and enabling environment for civil society is rapidly diminishing in many countries, leading to shrinking civic space and reduced transparency and accountability. The efforts by some States Parties to undermine the role of civil society organizations, the media, and academia in anti-corruption initiatives exacerbate these trends. Without adequate protections, those working to report, expose, investigate, and prosecute corruption face heightened risks of retaliation, discrimination, harassment, as well as severe personal, professional and psychosocial consequences.
- We are deeply troubled by substantive cuts to funding for non-governmental organizations working on anti-corruption, governance, and human rights, which have drastically curtailed the ability of many organizations around the globe to contribute to the implementation of UNCAC commitments and the fight against corruption. Similarly, government-imposed restrictions on international development assistance, barriers to participation, and armed conflicts have severely constrained the capacity of many organizations to engage in international processes such as the CoSP.
- We are also deeply concerned that ‘gender language’ has become an area of contestation instead of a guarantor for ensuring that anti-corruption measures are adapted to the different needs, opportunities, circumstances and vulnerabilities of diverse groups in society. Gender-responsive approaches are essential analytical and policy tools to ensure inclusive, context-sensitive and truly effective anti-corruption measures. Evidence shows that corruption affects women, men, and gender-diverse persons differently, particularly those facing intersecting forms of discrimination. Explicitly recognizing these differentiated impacts is critical to fulfilling the objectives of the UNCAC.
Calls to action - We call on States Parties to take swift and concrete action to advance the implementation of the resolutions adopted by this CoSP, as well as by previous CoSPs, and to meaningfully engage civil society throughout these implementation efforts, especially to:
- Implement the non-binding guidelines on the adoption and use of technologies to combat corruption in public procurement, developed in partnership with civil society experts in the follow-up to resolution 10/9;
- Implement comprehensive whistleblower reporting and protection frameworks aligned with international best practices as set out in CoSP resolution 10/8;
- Advance beneficial ownership transparency through the establishment of standardized, centralized registers that are accessible to relevant domestic and foreign authorities, civil society and the media, to strengthen anti-corruption and asset recovery efforts, in accordance with resolution 10/6.
- Address the societal impacts of corruption as urged by resolution 10/10 which calls on States Parties to integrate measures that mitigate these impacts, and is the first global anti-corruption commitment toward recognizing sexual corruption as a particular form of corruption and encouraging to take further measures to effectively prevent and prosecute such forms of corruption.
- We urge States Parties to actively protect and expand civic space as a fundamental precondition for effective prevention and detection of corruption, recognizing that restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly directly undermine the objectives of the UNCAC. Governments must remove all barriers that constrain civic space and contravene international human rights obligations, and establish safeguards to identify, prevent, and address risks of reprisal and intimidation at an early stage. States must strengthen measures to protect and defend all individuals and groups who expose, report, or investigate corruption, including journalists, whistleblowers, human rights defenders and anti-corruption activists, and ensure timely, effective responses to threats and reprisals against them, including smear campaigns, gendered forms of intimidation and violence, and legal or administrative harassment.
We call on States to renew and sustain their engagement with civil society actors at the national level, and demonstrate commitment to higher standards of transparency and civil society participation in the implementation of UNCAC and anti-corruption efforts in general. Further, States should actively advance civil society participation in the implementation and monitoring of the UNCAC, including by facilitating the meaningful participation of civil society and other non-governmental stakeholders in UNCAC reviews, in line with the Transparency Pledge, and enabling civil society to be involved in UNCAC processes, including as observers of the negotiations of resolutions at the Conference of the States Parties and its subsidiary bodies, an established practice across the United Nations system. We also encourage States to commit to including relevant stakeholders and civil society actors in technical assistance provided under the UNCAC, both as contributors and beneficiaries, to advance implementation and ensure effective and sustainable reforms.
Finally, we call on States Parties, donors and international partners to act collectively to guarantee the safety of, engagement with, and financial support for civil society actors, so that we can carry out our work in a challenging and rapidly changing environment. Providing and safeguarding inclusive spaces to engage a strong, well-supported civil society is essential to translating anti-corruption commitments into lasting impact.
As the global civil society observer community of CoSP11, we stand ready to engage constructively with development partners, governments and all relevant stakeholders to jointly advance the implementation of the Convention, commitments made at the Conference, and thus the global fight against corruption.
Endorsing organizations:
| 1 | Global Civil Society Coalition for the UNCAC | Austria | https://uncaccoalition.org/ |
| 2 | 21st Century Community Empowerment for Youth and Women Initiative | Nigeria | www.ceywi.org.com |
| 3 | Accountability Lab | United States | www.accountabilitylab.org |
| 4 | African Center for Governance, Asset Recovery and Sustainable Development | Nigeria | www.africancenterdev.org |
| 5 | AMAN Coalition (TI Palestine) | Palestine | Www.aman-palestine.org |
| 6 | Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda | Uganda | www.accu.or.ug |
| 7 | Armavir Development Center | Armenia | https://armavirdc.am/en/home/ |
| 8 | Armenian Lawyer’s Association | Armenia | https://armla.am/en/ |
| 9 | Asociacion Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia | Argentina | https://acij.org.ar/ |
| 10 | Association of anti-corruption experts “EXPERTISE” | Russia | https://expertise.su |
| 11 | Open Azerbaijan Initiative | Azerbaijan | www.openazerbaijan.org |
| 12 | AWTAD Anti-Corruption Organization | Yemen | |
| 13 | Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) | Pakistan | www.cpdi-pakistan.org |
| 14 | CHALLENGES: Action pour le developpement dutable | Togo | www.challengesint.org |
| 15 | CiFAR – Civil Forum for Asset Recovery e.V. | Germany | www.cifar.eu |
| 16 | CLEEN FOUNDATION | Nigeria | www.cleen.org |
| 17 | Eurasian Integrity Youth Academy | Greece | www.younginpower.org |
| 18 | Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development FENRAD Nigeria | Nigeria | Https://www.fenrad.org.ng |
| 19 | Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) | Ghana | gaccgh.org |
| 20 | Godiya Women Education and Sustainable Development Initiative | Nigeria | www.gowesdi.org |
| 21 | Good Governance Africa | Mauritius | www.gga.org |
| 22 | Government Accountability Project | United States | Www.whistleblower.org |
| 23 | Grassroots Center for Rights & Civic Orientation (GRACO) | Nigeria | www.grassrootsorientation. org |
| 24 | Indonesia Corrruption Watch (ICW) | Indonesia | https://antikorupsi.org |
| 25 | Institute Alternative | Montenegro | www.institute-alternative.org |
| 26 | Integrity and Transparency Foundation | Yemen | https://yemeniwac.com |
| 27 | International Lawyers Project | UK | https://www.internationallawyersproject.org/ |
| 28 | Kosovo Law Institute | Kosovo | https://kli-ks.org/ |
| 29 | Lexicon | Indonesia | https://lexicon.id |
| 30 | Libera. Associazioni, nomi e numeri contro le mafie | Italy | www.libera.it |
| 31 | Mas Integridad | Mexico | https://bit.ly/38AB3Zl |
| 32 | Mexiro A.C | Mexico | https://www.mexiro.org/ |
| 33 | Mobile Humanitarian Agency (MHA) | South Sudan | www. MHA-as.org |
| 34 | National Campaign for Sustainable Development Nepal | Nepal | https://nacasud.org.np/ |
| 35 | National Union of Bank Employees | Malaysia | www.nube.org.my |
| 36 | Open Contracting Partnership | United States | Open-contracting.org |
| 37 | Open Data Charter | Argentina | Www.opendatacharter.org |
| 38 | Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative | Nigeria | https://plsinitiative.org/ |
| 39 | Partnership for Transparency | United States | Ptfund.org |
| 40 | Peace And Justice Alliance | Canada | Www.peaceandjusticealliance.ca |
| 41 | Sigaw ng Kabataan Coalition (SKC) | Philippines | Skc-philippines.strikingly.com |
| 42 | Social Protection Contributors Advisory Association Malaysia | Malaysia | https//spcaam.org |
| 43 | Socio Economic Research and Development Centre SERDEC | Nigeria | www.serdec.org |
| 44 | Socio Economic Research and Development Centre SERDEC | Nigeria | www.serdec.org |
| 45 | Spotlight on Corruption | United Kingdom | https://www.spotlightcorruption.org/ |
| 46 | Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) | Pakistan | www.ssdo.org.pk |
| 47 | The Carter Center | United States | Www.cartercenter.org |
| 48 | The Sentry | United States | https://thesentry.org/about/ |
| 49 | Tolotsoa | Madagascar | tolotsoa.org |
| 50 | Transparency International | Germany | https://www.transparency.de/en |
| 51 | Transparency International – Maldives | Maldives | www.transparency.mv |
| 52 | Transparency International Brazil | Brazil | https://transparenciainternacional.org.br/ |
| 53 | Transparency International Canada | Canada | www.transparencycanada.ca |
| 54 | Transparency International France | France | https://transparency-france.org/ |
| 55 | Transparency International Germany | Germany | www.transparency.de |
| 56 | Transparency International Ghana | Ghana | tighana.org |
| 57 | Transparency International Kenya | Kenya | www.tikenya.org |
| 58 | Transparency International UK | United Kingdom | www.transparency.org.uk |
| 59 | Uppsala University Research Environment on Sexual Corruption | Sweden | https://www.uu.se/institution/statsvetenskapliga/forskning/uppsala-universitets-forskningsmiljo-om-sexuell-korruption—uuresc |
| 60 | WAVE Foundation Africa | Nigeria | www.wavefdn.org |
| 61 | Whistleblowers of America | United States | Www.whistleblowersofamerica.org |
| 62 | Wildlife Justice Commission | Global/Netherlands | https://wildlifejustice.org/ |
| 63 | WWF International | Switzerland | www.panda.org |
Endorsements
To endorse the declaration, please sign this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfFISKtJsOQMsdhqP27Wx7J6hrKubTBnD6ZDxCxpULmx2_eOA/viewform?usp=dialog