4th UNCAC CoSP 2011

What is the UNCAC CoSP?

Civil society action at the 3rd CoSP, Doha, November 2009

The Conference of the States Parties (CoSP) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) was established by UNCAC Article 63 "to improve the capacity of and cooperation between States parties to achieve the objectives set forth in the Convention and to promote and review its implementation".

The sessions of the Conference are attended by governmental delegations, sometimes headed by government Ministers. Plenaries are open to civil society groups, as well as side meetings or special events, while governmental working sessions usually remain closed to civil society representatives.

Since UNCAC's entry into force in December 2005, three sessions of the Conference of States Parties have been held - in 2006, 2008 and 2009. The 4th session of the UNCAC CoSP (CoSP 4) will be held in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 24 to 28 October 2011.

Highlights of the first three sessions of the UNCAC Conference of States Parties

1st CoSP, Amman (Jordan), December 2006:

States Parties acknowledge that the establishment of a review mechanism for the UNCAC is of 'paramount importance' and 'urgent'.
Creation of intergovernmental working groups on review of implementation, asset recovery and technical assistance.
Creation of a Pilot Review Programme, using a combined self-assessment / group / expert review method. Programme operational from mid-2007 to November 2009. Where requested by the country under review, on-site visits are conducted to assist in undertaking the self-assessments and preparing the recommendations.

2nd CoSP, Bali (Indonesia), January-February 2008:

Disagreements on the form the review mechanism should take, in particular regarding the transparency of the process and the participation of civil society, leading to postponement of a decision on this until the following session.
Continuation of the working groups created at the first COSP and emphasis placed on the recovery of stolen assets.
Expansion of the Pilot Review Programme for country self-assessment and peer review.

3rd CoSP, Doha (Qatar), November 2009:

A major step is taken with the adoption of an Intergovernmental Review Mechanism for the UNCAC. The purpose of the review mechanism is to evaluate and assist progress in the implementation of the Convention in each country. It begins operation in July 2010. The Mechanism includes an Implementation Review Group (IRG) to oversee the review process.
Intergovernmental Working Group is continued on asset recovery and created on prevention issues. The working group on technical assistance is incorporated into the IRG.

Civil society in action at CoSPs

Role and actions of civil society organisations around the CoSP

Message written by the UNCAC Coalition, 3rd CoSP, Doha, November 2009

A particular focus for civil society groups supporting the UNCAC are the sessions of the UNCAC Conference of States Parties (CoSP). These intergovernmental meetings represent a key opportunity for civil society to conduct advocacy and exert pressure on governments to respect their anti-corruption commitments. At the first three sessions of the UNCAC CoSP, the UNCAC Coalition focused on promoting the adoption of an effective, transparent and inclusive review mechanism for the UNCAC.

Since the first CoSP in 2006, the UNCAC Coalition has been coordinating global civil society actions around the Conference sessions. Coalition members attend the meetings as observers. They meet with government delegates, submit statements and hold press briefings, publish a newsletter, produce blogs and press releases, or undertake informative and civic actions to call for UNCAC implementation.

"Scenes from a Global Anti-Corruption Summit": four video segments

The video series Scenes from a Global Anti Corruption Summit documents civil society participation at the 2nd UNCAC Conference of States Parties held in Indonesia in 2008 and showcases interviews with civil society participants.

What is the UNCAC? What happens at an UNCAC Conference of States Parties? Why is it important for CSOs to be there? What actions does the UNCAC Coalition undertake? Why do anti-corruption activists need protection? The 4 short video segments produced by Transparency International aim to provide some answers.

The videos from Scenes from a Global Anti-Corruption Summit range from 4 to 9 minutes long and consist of:

Part 1 - Speaking of Corruption

Part 2 - UNCAC: A Global Treaty

Part 3 - The Global UNCAC Coalition in Action

Part 4 - Protecting Anti-Corruption Activists

Your feedback would be welcome! Also, help spread the word by linking to or embedding this video series on your web pages and sharing them via online communities.

The 4th CoSP in Marrakesh

"Be accountable. Be inclusive. Go public."

"End Impunity now! Return stolen public assets now!
Respect Human Rights and dignity!"

Representatives of the 154 parties to the UNCAC will meet for the 4th session of the UNCAC Conference of States Parties, from 24 to 28 October 2011 in Marrakesh, Morocco. The participants will be discussing progress in implementing UNCAC and countering corruption globally. There will be a spotlight on the experience of the first year of the Convention's review process that started in June 2010, as well as on funding needs of the Review Mechanism. Attention will also be focused on how much progress there has been in asset recovery efforts, in light of UNCAC provisions on that subject. Also on the agenda are issues relating to corruption prevention. To guide future work, government delegates will adopt forward-looking resolutions aimed at making UNCAC an effective framework for collective action against corruption.

The UNCAC Coalition will be there in force to remind governments of our message: "Be accountable. Be inclusive. Go public." With the Arab spring developments in mind, we will also call for action to step up anti-money laundering and asset recovery efforts, with the message: "Return stolen public assets now!"

At a series of events before and during the Conference, the UNCAC Coalition will call for transparency and civil society participation, for removal of barriers to asset recovery, for respect for human rights and dignity and for an end to impunity. These include Special Event panels on key topics (See the main events at the CoSP Week Schedule below). Additional, special meetings and parallel events organised by other groups will be held such as a 2-day meeting on "Citizen participation to improve accountability and fighting corruption in public services" hosted by UNDESA; a meeting organised by UN Women on "Gender and Corruption: Impact, Prevention and Responses"; and a Private Sector Forum co-organised and hosted by TI, the ICC, the World Economic Forum and the UN Global Compact. The International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities will meet as well just before the CoSP.

4th CoSP Week Schedule for civil society organisations
(a partial list of meetings)

23 October 2011	UNCAC Coalition Coordination Committee Meeting: Planning for the COSP Civil Society Preparatory Meeting: Pre-session briefing for NGOs organised by the UNCAC Coalition; UNODC will participate to provide information and guidance for CSO delegates
24 October 2011	Opening of CoSP, Coalition participation as observers
25, 26, 27 October 2011	Three-part Special Event organised by Coalition members for government representatives, fractioned in the following three meetings: 25 Oct.: Best Practices in UNCAC Review and Access to Information 26 Oct.: Best Practices in Article 13 and Whistle Blower Protection 27 Oct.: Best Practices on Asset Recovery and Anti-money laundering
27 October 2011	Coalition workshops and internal discussions 1st UNCAC Coalition Annual Membership Meeting: a historic first in-person Coalition membership meeting
28 October 2011	CoSP 4th session ends