NHC joins UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) Coalition
In September 2021, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee became a proud member of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) Coalition, joining a global network of over 350 civil society organisations (CSOs) in over 100 countries, committed to promoting the ratification, implementation and monitoring of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Established in August 2006, the Coalition mobilises civil society action for UNCAC at international, regional and national levels.
About UNCAC
“The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. The Convention’s far-reaching approach and the mandatory character of many of its provisions make it a unique tool for developing a comprehensive response to a global problem” – UNCAC
The UNCAC coalition was established with the aim of advancing the monitoring and implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption. The coalition consists of civil society organisations across the world that are dedication to tackling corruption. The UNCAC coalition team actively engages in a number of activities. Including engaging multiple stakeholders to share concerns on the implementation of UNCAC, as well as working to inform the members of the coalition on developments and how to engage in UNCAC fora. Through providing tools and technical support, the coalition team actively and concretely supports the global network of civil society organisations involved in the coalition to continue their fight against corruption.
Work of NHC
The NHC continuously works to promote and uphold human rights, Rule of Law and democracy within and beyond Europe. Under the umbrella of Rule of Law, and across our four programmes, the NHC works on a number of issues surrounding (anti)corruption. From reporting on transborder corruption, to advocating against the persecution of anti-corruption activists in Ukraine, the activities attempt to address corruption on all levels. In our collaborative project Tackling Russian Elites Corruption, the NHC, together with the Expert group on Transborder Corruption, looked at how murky money from Russia enters the European Union (EU). Corruption is also an area that we focused on in our session for the 2021 inaugural Democracy Retreat, where we invited experts to a panel about exploring ways to monitor, prevent and sanction corruption practices that affect Rule of Law mechanisms in place. As part of NHC’s Integrity and Accountability programme we offer Rule of Law trainings covering civil servant and judiciary integrity issues. The trainings are aimed at government officials from EU accession and Easter Partnership countries.
Alongside this, the NHC has partaken in numerous high level meetings. For instance, the December 2020 meeting with the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stef Blok, which centred on corruption and its impact on human rights, as well as contributing to the European Commission’s 2020 Rule of Law report. The report itself is part of a wider Rule of Law Mechanism, which marks a new opportunity to uphold democracy in the EU. The NHC also internationally raised corruption as a factor to be addressed in fighting human rights violations, by initiating a civil society ‘Tirana Declaration’ issued in December 2020 on the occasion of the yearly OSCE Ministerial Council meeting.
Going forward
We look forward to working together, as part of the Coalition, to continue working to develop a comprehensive response to a global problem. A problem, as has become all too clear, that has far reaching consequences for Rule of Law, democracy, and human rights.
Find out more about the work of UNCAC: https://uncaccoalition.org/ and follow our social media channels to stay abreast of future collaboration.
