This post is a summary of four articles. The first was published at https://ungass2021.unodc.org/ungass2021/index.html. The second was published at https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_2416. The third was published at https://www.ifes.org/publications/ifes-helps-shape-uns-international-anti-corruption-agenda. The fourth was published at https://www.idlo.int/news/policy-statements/statement-idlo-special-session-general-assembly-against-corruption-2021
On 17 December 2018, the General Assembly adopted resolution 73/191 entitled "Special session of the General Assembly against corruption", in which it decided to convene in the first half of 2021 a special session on challenges and measures to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation. The Assembly invited the conference of the states to lead the preparatory process for the special session by addressing all organizational and substantive matters in an open-ended manner and requested the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime to provide substantive expertise and technical support. The Conference approved a draft resolution entitled "Special session of the General Assembly against corruption", for subsequent adoption by the General Assembly, in which it decided that the special session will be held from 2 to 4 June 2021. The UNGASS 2021 website was created as a first step in the preparatory process and it is expected to function as a repository for all relevant information relating to the special session. The website will be updated on a continuing basis to reflect the progress made by the Conference in the preparatory process for the special session. The European Commission has taken a number of measures to address corruption in the E.U. Important progress has been made on legislation on anti-money laundering, public procurement, whistle-blower protection and asset recovery. The fight against corruption is among the topics addressed in country-specific recommendations. Further E.U. measures including the new European Public Prosecutor's Office, with a mandate to investigate, prosecute and bring to judgment crimes against the E.U. budget. The recent E.U. Rule of Law Report highlights the fight against corruption as a fundamental pillar for upholding the rule of law. Corruption also has an impact on the business environment, which is why anticorruption is also an important component of the Recovery and Resilience Plans. On the global stage, the E.U. has played an important role in the adoption in the resolution that paved the way for the Special Session of the U.N. General Assembly to combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation, planned for June 2021. The Commission also organises regular anti-corruption workshops across the E.U. to support Menber States and provide funds. Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, said: "Corruption is a threat to democracy and it has no place in the E.U. Institutions. By setting out our plans for an anti-corruption review at E.U. level, we are fulfilling our international commitments and we are strengthening the E.U. role in the global fight against corruption. The International foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) welcomes the opportunity to inform this agenda and believes that global commitment and cooperation on anti-corruption has become even more imperative as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has undermined existing transparency and accountability mechanisms globally and increased the risks of corruption. As part of our contribution to preparations for UNGASS 2021, IFES has recommended that the General Assembly include the following six priority areas in the agenda: 1) Increasing transparency and accountability in political finance. 2) Addressing election-related corrupt practices. 3) Strengthening anti-corruption authorities and other independent institutions. 4) Strengthening judicial ethics and independence. 5) Leveraging civil society to bolster oversight and implementation. 6) Bolstering the U.N. Convention against Corruption review process. The General Assembly of the U.N. decided to convene a special session on challenges and measures to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation. The special session, scheduled for 2 to 4 June 2021 will result in the adoption of a "concise and action-oriented political declaration". International Development Law Organization (IDLO) is the only global inter-governmental organization exclusively devoted to promoting rule of law to sustain peace and development, welcomes the organization of a special session to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation. IDLO remains committed to the promotion of transparency and accountability, and people-centered justice through the rule of law and will reflect this commitment. Corruption has a profound negative impact on advancing the rule of law, good governance and human rights and on security and economic progress. The combat of corruption is a major component of Sustainable Development Goals. Corruption, bribery, theft and tax evasion, and other illicit financial flows cost developing countries $1.26 trillion per year. Corruption also poses as a key obstacle to accessing public services, curbs political participation and decision making. Emerging research in Latin America shows that new digital solutions combined with an open data policy could reduce the corruption risks and enhance integrity of public procurement processes. Given the central role played by judicial institutions in the implementation of the range of anti-corruption measures required. Judicial transparency is a fundamental component in preventing of corruption. Key international best practices in ensuring transparency include the publication of judicial decisions, and enhances consistency in judicial decision-making. In Kyrgyzstan the creation of a website with a despersonification system that anonymizes sensitive data enables over 90% of judicial decisions are now published and civil society and the judiciary itself, are using the decisions to advance judicial integrity and professionalism, document judicial trends and develop data-driven tools, such as an interactive map of judicial decisions and related analysis.
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