Nigeria’s Center for Fiscal Transparency (CFT) and over 350 other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from over 100 countries are reinforcing the call for the implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) to check corrupt practices in government.
The bodies committed to promoting the ratification, implementation, and monitoring of the UNCAC are currently making the call at the ongoing 21st International Anti-Corruption Conference 2024 (IACC) Series in Vilnius, Lithuania.
According to the organisers, the gathering will also go beyond dialogue to achieve concrete progress in combating corruption, with discussions focusing on issues such as restoring trust in public governance and ensuring integrity in climate finance.
They further disclosed that stakeholders will brainstorm on how Nigeria can counter the impact of populist and corrupt regimes jeopardising human rights, environmental health, and global stability.
The conference, the organisers also noted, seeks to, among others, galvanise global efforts for honest and “solution-oriented” discussions on the interconnected threats to global security.
They added that stakeholders will discuss ways to strengthen the implementation of UNCAC among member states through the instrumentality of the convention’s review process.
Commenting, CFT’s Public Relations Lead, Victor Agi, disclosed that the Center will take part in a crucial workshop session titled “UNCAC Monitoring Mechanism: Promoting Accountability and Civic Space in the UNCAC Review Process,” to reinforce and call for the implementation of the UNCAC among member states.
He added: “Since the adoption of this treaty, which provides a comprehensive framework for combating corruption in all its forms, its effectiveness has depended significantly on the commitment of member states to implement its provisions; hence, the importance of this workshop, which will encourage member states to embrace a robust anti-corruption monitoring mechanism, promote accountability, and inclusive participation in the implementation of the principles enshrined in the Convention in the review processes.”
Recall that the Center presented the civil society monitoring template, the first of its kind globally, for Nigeria’s implementation of the Convention, an instrument that empowers citizens, media, and civil society organisations (CSOs) to actively monitor and assess the government’s progress.
