The United Nations(UN)’s International Anti-Corruption Day(IACD) is annually observed across the globe on 9th December to create awareness about the negative impacts of corruption and the role of the UN Convention on combating and preventing corruption.
- The day highlights the role of everyone including, Individuals, non-governmental organisations, law enforcement, and media persons in tackling the issues of corruption.
The theme of IACD 2022 is “UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption”.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the United Nations Convention Against Corruption on 31st October 2003 and requested that the Secretary-General designate the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as secretariat for the Convention’s Conference of States Parties.
ii.The convention came into effect in 2005. Since then, 188 parties have committed to the Convention’s anti-corruption obligations.
iii.This is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument.
iv.The convention is responsible to ensure that adequate protections are provided to whistleblowers who raise their voice against corrupt practices.
v.The UNGA has also designated 9th December of every as “International Anti-Corruption Day”.
2022 IACD Campaign:
The IACD 2022 campaign will take place from 5-9 December kicking off a one-year-long campaign to mark the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
A dedicated social media package to mark UNCAC at 20 will be launched in early 2023.
About United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
Director-General– Ghada Fathi Waly (Egypt)
Headquarters– Vienna, Austria
