The open letter below addresses the 191 States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) – the only comprehensive global anti-corruption instrument – asking them to push for a more effective, transparent and inclusive review mechanism. The letter will be shared with States’ delegates to the United Nations in Vienna. States Parties are currently deliberating on the future of the UNCAC’s Implementation Review Mechanism (IRM) and will negotiate the next phase of the IRM from the spring onwards, with an anticipated decision to be made by the 11th UNCAC Conference of the States Parties in mid-December 2025 in Qatar.
The letter is coordinated by the UNCAC Coalition, the global civil society network working to advance the monitoring and implementation of the UNCAC. The letter will remain open for public endorsements by non-governmental organizations, other entities, bodies and companies, as well as by individuals who work on or have worked on anti-corruption issues. To endorse the letter, please fill out the form below.
You can find the letter in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic here, it will be regularly updated to include signatories.
In case you have any questions, please email us at info@uncaccoalition.org.
For more context, see the key recommendations developed by the UNCAC Coalition for the next phase of the UNCAC IRM, as well as a detailed analysis of the IRM.
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"Open Letter: Enhancing Anti-corruption Efforts Globally by Adopting a More Effective, Transparent and Inclusive UNCAC Review Mechanism
Dear representatives of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption,
We, the undersigned organizations, entities, companies, and experts, urge the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to strengthen the Convention’s Implementation Review Mechanism (IRM) to increase its impact in preventing and combating corruption globally.
The UNCAC is the world’s only comprehensive, legally binding anti-corruption instrument with near-global coverage and 191 States as parties to the Convention. Therefore, a robust UNCAC review mechanism that effectively promotes the implementation of the Convention is a cornerstone for tackling corruption around the world, as well as other global challenges linked to it, and is critical to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
However, the IRM has numerous weaknesses and substantially lower standards compared to other regional and global monitoring mechanisms, undermining its impact in advancing the effective implementation of UNCAC commitments at the national level. These weaknesses include inadequate transparency and unsatisfactory participation of civil society and other non-governmental stakeholders, a lengthy and inefficient review process, and the lack of a structured follow-up process to assess the implementation of country review recommendations and how legal frameworks work in practice.
As governments deliberate on the scope and format of the next phase of the IRM, we call on UNCAC States Parties to strengthen the IRM at the 11th UNCAC Conference of the States Parties in December 2025 by agreeing to the following principles:
1. Enhance transparency: Publish timelines for country reviews and how stakeholders can engage, as well as all inputs and outcome documents from UNCAC reviews, including full country reports and stakeholder submissions, enabling civil society, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, journalists, academics, donors, development partners and other actors contributing to anti-corruption efforts to utilize the information.
2. Strengthen stakeholder participation: Meaningfully consult with civil society organizations, academia, professional associations, the private sector, journalists and other non-governmental stakeholders at key stages of the country reviews and follow-up, including on technical assistance, and reflect stakeholder participation and views in country reports and executive summaries. Allow non-governmental stakeholders to participate in the meetings of the UNCAC Implementation Review Group, as well as in other UNCAC working groups.
3. Increase efficiency: Publish a regularly updated global calendar of country reviews to keep the review schedule on track, providing explanations for delays and how they will be addressed.
4. Establish a structured follow-up process: Adopt a formal follow-up process to regularly monitor how countries have addressed recommendations from previous country reviews, including technical assistance recommendations, and to review new developments, with countries submitting and publishing progress reports annually.
5. Assess effectiveness of implementation: Carry out reviews with a central focus on assessing UNCAC implementation in practice, examining aspects such as compliance, preventive, investigative and enforcement actions, and the resourcing and independence of competent anti-corruption bodies.
A more transparent and inclusive IRM will harness the valuable expertise and experience of civil society and other non-governmental stakeholders on anti-corruption and increase government accountability.
We underscore our interest in engaging with the UNCAC IRM in its next phase by contributing to national reviews and follow-up, and in using the findings and outcome documents of the review mechanism.
We urge all States Parties to support the adoption of a strengthened review mechanism in line with these recommendations, creating a more transparent, inclusive, efficient and effective IRM that will enhance the UNCAC’s impact in the global fight against corruption.
Non-governmental organizations (name, country)
Other organizations and entities (name, country)
Individual signatories (name, country, role / affiliation)
