12 August 2021 –

Afghanistan  has become the 28th country to sign the UNCAC Coalition’s Transparency Pledge, voluntarily committing to a high level of transparency and civil society inclusion in the second cycle of the UNCAC implementation review.

Afghanistan’s second cycle UNCAC implementation review, which covers articles on preventive measures (Chapter II of the UNCAC) and asset recovery (Chapter V), was scheduled for 2017, but due to delays a joint meeting with UNODCand peer reviewers Jordan and Dominica only took place in Vienna from 9-11 September 2019.

Afghanistan will soon publish its self-assessment checklist, and will publish the full country report once it is finished. Click here for more details on how the review mechanism works.

In a press conference held on 8 August 2021, the Chair of the Afghanisthan Anti-Corruption Commission (AACC), Saranpal Abdulqayoom Nezami, signed the UNCAC Review Transparency Pledge after receiving approval by the President and authorization from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The AACC also welcomed the release of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s (UNAMA) fifth Anti-Corruption Report, “Afghanistan’s Fight Against Corruption: Stepping up Transparency, Accountability and Integrity”.

In UNAMA’s report, creating the Afghanistan Anti-Corruption Commission, enactment of the Anti-Corruption Law, the Whistle-blower Protection Law, the Asset Declaration and Registration Law, the Access to Information Law, and the Anti-Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Law are all counted as some of the positive actions taken by the Government of Afghanistan in fighting corruption. The AACC emphasized that the Report highlighted that despite the challenges of COVID-19 and the security situation, the Afghan government, particularly the AACC, is still making gradual progress in the fight against corruption. 

Principles of Transparency

The Transparency Pledge covers the following principles, complementing the UNCAC Coalition’s guide which includes best practice approaches for promoting transparency and participation in the review process:

1. We will publish updated review schedules for our country review
2. We will share information about the review institution or the coordinator (focal point)
3. We will announce the completion of the country review indicating where the report can be found
4. We will promptly post online the self-assessment and the full country report in a UN language, together with the executive summary in local languages
5. We will organize civil society briefings and public debates about the findings of the report
6. We will publicly support participation of civil society observers in UNCAC subsidiary bodies