youth group
In Ukraine, youth work on anti-corruption. We are promoting collective action against corruption through multi-stakeholder engagement with governments, businesses and civil society and empowering communities, with a focus on women and youth.
Photo:UNDP Ukraine

The UN Convention against Corruption at 20: Uniting the World against Corruption

The world today faces some of its greatest challenges in many generations – challenges, which threaten prosperity and stability for people across the globe. The plague of corruption is intertwined in most of them.

Corruption has negative impacts on every aspect of society and is profoundly intertwined with conflict and instability, jeopardizing social and economic development and undermining democratic institutions and the rule of law.

Corruption not only follows conflict, but is also frequently one of its root causes. It fuels conflict and inhibits peace processes by undermining the rule of law, worsening poverty, facilitating the illicit use of resources, and providing financing for armed conflict.

Preventing corruption, promoting transparency, and strengthening institutions is crucial, if the targets foreseen in the Sustainable Development Goals are to be met.

The 2023 International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) seeks to highlight the crucial link between anti-corruption and peace, security, and development. At its core is the notion that tackling this crime is the right and responsibility of everyone, and that only through cooperation and the involvement of each and every person and institution can we overcome the negative impact of this crime. States, government officials, civil servants, law enforcement officers, media representatives, the private sector, civil society, academia, the public and youth, alike, all have a role to play in uniting the world against corruption.

The 2023 IACD commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). As we celebrate this milestone, we reflect on the positive changes brought about by the collective efforts driven by the Convention. Equally crucial is our examination of the remaining gaps that require attention to ensure that this mechanism continues to strengthen in the years ahead.

Background

Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that affects all countries. Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slows economic development and contributes to governmental instability.

Corruption attacks the foundation of democratic institutions by distorting electoral processes, perverting the rule of law and creating bureaucratic quagmires, whose only reason for existing is the soliciting of bribes. Economic development is stunted, because foreign direct investment is discouraged and small businesses within the country often find it impossible to overcome the "start-up costs" required, because of corruption.

On 31 October 2003, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption and requested that the Secretary-General designate the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as the secretariat for the Convention’s Conference of States Parties (resolution 58/4). Since then, 190 parties have committed to the Convention’s anti-corruption obligations, showing near-universal recognition of the importance of good governance, accountability, and political commitment.

The Assembly also designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it. The Convention entered into force in December 2005.

At its twentieth anniversary and beyond, this Convention and the values it promotes are more important than ever, which requires everyone to join efforts to tackle this crime. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Secretariat for the Convention's Conference of the States Parties, are at the forefront of ensuring a world #UnitedAgainstCorruption.

Anti-corruption Day Logo

Resources

UN Office on Drugs and Crime

Other UN Offices and Agencies

World Bank Group

Other International Organizations

Demonstration against corruption, Haiti, 2010

Democracy is a universally recognized ideal and is one of the core values and principles of the United Nations. Democracy provides an environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights.

 

Children making a star sign

Social Media Kit

Join us in our efforts to tackle corruption by:

  • using the Anti-Corruption logo on publications and at events;
  • posting messages on your networks using material from the social media kit;
  • using the hashtags #UnitedAgainstCorruption and #IACD2023 on all digital platforms for the International Anti-Corruption Day outreach;
  • highlighting UNCAC at 20 by using the hashtag #UNCAC20, marking the anniversary on social media using this material; and
  • learning and disseminating information about the Convention on unodc.org/uncac20.

 

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.