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#COSP8

The Eighth Session of the UNCAC Conference of States Parties (8th CoSP)

& Civil Society Preparatory Meeting on 15.12.

Abu Dhabi, 16–20 December 2019

Page last updated: 16 January 2020

by UNIS Vienna, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

What is the 8th UNCAC CoSP and why is it important?

From 16 to 20 December 2019, more than 700 experts and delegates of many of the 186 States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and over 200 civil society observers met at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for the 8th session of the UNCAC Conference of States Parties (CoSP8).

This biennial anti-corruption gathering is the most important global event for checking progress on the UNCAC and for strengthening efforts in the fight against corruption. Government officials and experts attended the meeting, as well as representatives of international organisations and civil society organisations (CSOs).

The agenda for the five-day meeting covered the review mechanism, technical assistance, corruption prevention, asset recovery and international cooperation. The Conference also discussed the modalities resolution for the "Special Session of the General Assembly against corruption" that the UN General Assembly decided to convene in the first half of 2021.

CSO representatives are allowed to attend the COSP as observers (unless a government objects that a CSO without ECOSOC accreditation attends), which gives them the opportunity to attend plenaries, make oral statements and make written submissions, as well as hold side events.

Civil Society Preparatory Meeting on 15.12.

The day before the CoSP, on Sunday, 15 December, the UNCAC Coalition and UNODC organised a preparatory meeting for civil society organisations, starting at 10:30 – 17:30, at the NGO Meeting Room, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Statements

Oral Statements

Written Statements

Press Releases

Special events (co-)organised by the Coalition and its members

  • Tuesday, 17 December (11:30-13:00):
    Perspectives on Asset Return: mechanisms and monitoring (organised by Transparency International and StAR)
  • Tuesday, 17 December (15:30-17:00):
    Getting Serious About Beneficial Ownership Transparency  (organised by the UNCAC Coalition, Transparency International, StAR, UNODC-ROSEAP and CISLAC)
    Find a summary of the event here.
  • Friday, 20 December (14:00)
    Making transparency work: Technology-driven approaches to facilitate public access to information
    (organised by the UNCAC Coalition, Article 19 and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Slovakia.)
    Find a detailed summary of the event here.
  • Friday, 20 December (14:00)
    New tools for social accountability: Access to Information in the MENA region (organised by Transparency International)

Please find the schedule here.

Documents

Resolutions

All resolutions adopted by the CoSP to the UNCAC, as well as the draft resolution to be recommended by the CoSP to the UNCAC for adoption by the General  Assembly can be found here.

Overview of the resolutions adopted 
Number Title SponSors
draft* Special session of the General Assembly against corruption United Arab Emirates
8/1 Strengthening of international cooperation on asset recovery and of administration of frozen, seized and confiscated assets Canada, Peru, Ukraine, USA
8/2 Celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Mechanism for the Review of Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption Israel
8/3 Promoting integrity in the public sector among States parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption Brazil
8/4 Safeguarding sport from corruption Italy, Japan, Russian Federation
8/5 Enhancing integrity by raising public awareness Saudia Arabia, United Arab Emirates
8/6 Implementation of international obligations to prevent and combat bribery as defined under the UN Convention against Corruption USA
8/7 Enhancing the effectiveness of anti-corruption bodies in fighting corruption Mali, Mauritius, Seychelles
8/8 Follow-up to the Marrakech declaration on the prevention of corruption Egypt on behalf of the G77 and China
8/9 Strengthening asset recovery to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Kenya, Nigeria, State of Palestine
8/10 Measurement of corruption Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russian Federation
8/11 Strengthening the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption in small islands developing States Australia, Kiribati, Norway, Samoa, Seychelles
8/12 Preventing and combating corruption as it relates to crimes that have an impact on the environment Belgium, France
8/13 Abu Dhabi declaration on enhancing collaboration between the supreme audit institutions and anti-corruption bodies to more effectively prevent and fight corruption United Arab Emirates
8/14 Promoting good practices in the role of national parliaments and other legislative bodies in preventing and combating corruption in all its forms Canada, China, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Switzerland
*draft resolution to be recommended by the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption for adoption by the General Assembly
Overview of the decisions adopted
Number TITLE
8/1 Extension of the second cycle of the Mechanism for the Review of Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption

Newsletter

During the conference, the UNCAC Coalition published three issues of "The Observer" to convey news and views to participants at the CoSP and to those following the events from home. This was the newsletter's 8th edition, having started at the very first session of the Conference of States Parties in Amman in 2006.

Activities

  • UNCAC Coalition Beneficial Ownership (BO) Transparency Box Game: This quick and simple game puts the player in the role of an investigator who needs to track down the persons who stole €100 million in a corruption scandal.

As the player takes step after step to track down the owners of a company, it becomes clear how difficult access to company ownership information can be, underlining the importance of publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership information. Such open registries include information on the individuals who ultimately control companies (and other relevant legal entities, such as trusts and foundations) and are an effective tool against the use fo shell companies that have been relentlessly used in corruption schemes, for money laundering and in other crimes around the world.

The game, which only takes about 2-3 minutes to play, was piloted during the Conference of the States Parties to the UNCAC in Abu Dhabi from 16-20 December 2019, where delegates, as well as civil society representatives, enjoyed playing it.

Read more about the game here.

  • UNCAC Coalition bowling lane: Use the UNCAC (the bowling ball) to combat impunity, shell companies, grand corruption, stolen assets, forgotten victims and secret government contracts (the six bowling pins).

Important documents in preparation of the COSP

Photo gallery

Find out more

A global civil society network promoting the implementation and monitoring of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)