UNCAC Coalition welcomes unprecedented joint statement by UN Experts, calling on States to strengthen civil society participation in the UNCAC review mechanism 

For Immediate Release – 25 August 2025

Vienna – The UNCAC Coalition welcomes the unprecedented joint statement by a group of United Nations Special Procedures mandate holders calling on States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to strengthen civic space in anti-corruption efforts. 

The first-ever joint call by a group of United Nations human rights experts to UNCAC States Parties urges governments to strengthen the inclusiveness and transparency of the Convention’s review mechanism, and to ensure the meaningful participation of civil society in anti-corruption efforts, both at national and international levels and across UNCAC fora.

The call comes as States start to engage in informal negotiations in Vienna over the future of the Implementation Review Mechanism (IRM) of the UNCAC, which is the only binding, comprehensive anti-corruption agreement that has been joined by 190 States and the European Union.  

A call to action

The experts set out immediate steps States must take to protect civic space in UNCAC processes, echoing also recommendations developed by the UNCAC Coalition and a joint call by over 400 civil society organizations and experts:

  • Adopting reforms to make the UNCAC IRM more effective, transparent and inclusive;
    • Ensuring active civil society participation in key stages of the country review process and follow-up;
    • Enhancing transparency by publishing all input and output documents, including NGO submissions; 
    • Providing a regularly-updated calendar of country reviews and information on how stakeholders can engage;
    • Develop an effective, efficient, and inclusive follow-up process to monitor countries’ implementation of recommendations and to assess the effectiveness of UNCAC provisions in practice;
  • Launching formal consultations with civil society to identify practical measures for stronger civic engagement;
  • Promoting civil society participation in UNCAC fora:
    • Granting NGOs observer status in all UNCAC bodies;
    • Safeguarding civil society access to the UNCAC Conference of the States Parties (CoSP);
    • Ensuring civil society is involved in follow-up to CoSP resolutions;
  • Establishing global mechanisms to monitor reprisals against anti-corruption defenders; and
  • Strengthening collaboration between UNCAC and UN human rights bodies.

“States need to act on the recommendations of the UN experts and work towards a more effective, transparent and inclusive UNCAC Review Mechanism that facilitates meaningful civil society participation in anti-corruption efforts. They need to make civic space protection and expansion a cornerstone of their anti-corruption commitments at the upcoming CoSP11 in December”, said Mathias Huter, Managing Director of the UNCAC Coalition. “Uniting across mandates and regions, UN experts have sent a powerful message: protecting civic space is essential for fighting corruption and safeguarding human rights.”

Civic space must not be optional

The UN experts stress that safeguarding civic space and enabling civil society participation are not optional but fundamental obligations under both UNCAC Article 13 and international human rights law.

“We stand united in urging all States Parties to the UNCAC to recognize civil society not as an obstacle, but as an indispensable partner in combating corruption and promoting human rights. Failure to act risks accelerating the erosion of civic space, weakening anticorruption efforts, and undermining the enjoyment of human rights globally.” 

Corruption as a human rights crisis

The signatories include Independent Experts of the United Nations, covering a wide range of human rights issues, from freedom of assembly and education, to development, gender equality, and on international solidarity, among others. Their intervention underscores the cross-cutting nature of corruption and its deep impact on human rights.

The UN experts warn:

“Across multiple regions and sectors, there are increasing attacks on civil society actors, journalists, and whistleblowers engaged in anti-corruption work. This is why States Parties to the UNCAC must live up to their commitments under both the UNCAC and international human rights law. We are witnessing a disturbing trend: the very individuals and organizations who speak truth to power, activists, journalists, academics, students, researchers and human rights defenders, are being silenced or punished under the guise of national security, anti-terrorism laws, or other restrictions. This contradicts the spirit of UNCAC, which in Article 13 recognizes the vital role of civil society.”

The experts further stress that corruption is not only a governance challenge but a “direct and structural threat to the realization of a wide range of human rights”. It undermines climate action, development, education, health, and judicial independence, while exposing journalists, whistleblowers, Indigenous Peoples, women and girls, and other vulnerable groups to risks and reprisals.

“Too often, anticorruption spaces, both nationally and internationally, exclude or constrain the voices and actions of civil society, despite the critical role that they play in promoting transparency, integrity, and accountability. These restrictions weaken anti-corruption outcomes and violate the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.”

Background

The joint statement was issued by a group of UN Special Procedures mandate holders, including Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; Marcos A. Orellana, Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes; Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the right to education; Laura Nyirinkindi (Chair), Claudia Flores (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Ivana Krstić, and Haina Lu, Working Group on discrimination against women and girls; Cecilia M. Bailliet, Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity; Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Surya Deva, Special Rapporteur on the right to development; Astrid Puentes Riaño, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion.

Special Procedures experts are independent human rights experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. 

A press release by OHCHR is available here: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/08/un-experts-urge-uncac-states-parties-safeguard-civic-space-and-uphold-human 

The joint statement comes as States start to prepare for UNCAC CoSP11, which will take place in Doha, Qatar, from 14–19 December. 

The UNCAC Coalition has shared recommendations for strengthening the Implementation Review Mechanism in its next phase and provides regular updates on CoSP11 through its website.

An open letter issued by the UNCAC Coalition, endorsed by 409 organizations, entities, companies, and experts from 111 countries, urges States Parties to the UNCAC to strengthen the review mechanism, including by enhancing transparency and strengthening stakeholder participation.