Gender, Inclusion and Corruption

Context in which this group operates

The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), like many international treaties, is gender blind. Yet there is growing evidence that corruption affects women and men differently and can reinforce existing inequalities, including women’s exclusion from leadership and decision-making roles and their unequal access to business opportunities, economic resources, assets such as land, and adequate public services.

While gender and corruption have received increasing attention from governments, international organisations, researchers and civil society, important gaps remain. Gender considerations are still insufficiently integrated into anti-corruption laws, policies, implementation and monitoring, while data on the gendered and intersectional dimensions of corruption remains limited. Looking only at differences between women and men can also obscure how corruption affects people differently depending on factors such as age, income, disability, ethnicity and other dimensions of inequality.

At the 9th Conference of the States Parties to the UNCAC in December 2021, States affirmed their commitment to improving understanding of the linkages between gender and corruption, including how corruption can affect women and men differently, and to promoting gender equality by mainstreaming it in relevant legislation, policy development, research, projects and programmes, as appropriate and in accordance with the fundamental principles of domestic law. States also encouraged UNODC regional platforms to consider mainstreaming a gender perspective into their activities.

The Working Group therefore considers gender and inclusion across the broader anti-corruption agenda. This includes addressing specific forms of corruption such as sexual corruption, while also examining how gender and inclusion intersect with corruption in areas such as public services, political participation, economic opportunities, procurement, public administration, illicit financial flows and asset recovery. It also considers the legal, institutional and policy changes needed to prevent corruption, strengthen reporting and accountability mechanisms, and ensure that anti-corruption responses are inclusive and responsive to different experiences.

Main streams of work

The Working Group’s main streams of work include Sexual Corruption, Gender and Corruption Data, and Mainstreaming Gender and Promoting Inclusion in Anti-corruption frameworks. Through these streams, the Working Group seeks to strengthen understanding of the gendered dimensions of corruption, promote evidence-based approaches, and advance the integration of gender and inclusion across anti-corruption frameworks and practice.

The Working Group on Gender, Inclusion and Anti-Corruption provides a forum to influence and inspire, share experiences and ideas, advocate for better data and policy, and create space for discussion and debate on these interconnected issues. It brings together civil society actors to identify opportunities for joint learning, advocacy and action and to explore how we can move these agendas forward together.

Objectives

The objectives of the Gender, Inclusion and Corruption Working Group are to:

• Influence and inspire each other, as well as colleagues, employers, grantees, collaborators, others within our spheres of influence and the wider anti-corruption community, to pay more attention to gender and inclusion in anti-corruption policy and practice by sharing experiences and lessons from our work.
• Share ideas on new research questions to generate knowledge on what we do not yet know and understand about gender and corruption, while helping to bridge the gap between research, policy and practice.
• Advocate for better data on gender and corruption, including data that goes beyond superficial disaggregation by gender and captures intersectional factors and differences in experiences of corruption.
• Advocate for changes in international law, policy and practice, including greater attention to gender and inclusion in the UNCAC and its implementation, as well as in national anti-corruption frameworks and practice.