The UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) requires countries to report back on corruption every five years. This report provides an overview of the country review process after its first three years of implementation. It highlights areas for improvement in the process, including follow-up on country reviews, delays, transparency, increasing NGO participation, and quality of reviews. This report contributes to the discussions of the Fifth Conference of States Parties in Panama November 2013 and provides information to assist the review process.
The UN Convention against Corruption is the landmark international anti-corruption treaty adopted by the UN General Assembly in October 2003. It is the key instrument for overcoming corruption around the world. The UNCAC review process consists of (1) a self-assessment report is produced by the country under review by completing a comprehensive checklist; (2) the self-assessment report is assessed by experts from two reviewing countries, including a country visit if requested by the reviewed country; and (3) the reviewers produce a final country review report, which is finalised in agreement with the country under review.
This report is based on data about the country review process collected via non-governmental organisation (NGO) responses to a questionnaire about their experiences with the review process in 60 of the 69 countries in the first two years of the review. The report also draws on findings and recommendations about the UNCAC review process in a number of NGO parallel reports. In addition, informal conversations were held with stakeholders involved in the country reviews. The research regarding the review process outputs is based on country review reports, executive summaries, self-assessments, UNODC thematic reports and reports on technical assistance needs.
