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 A Global Unions Anti-corruption Network

• UNICORN A Global Unions Anti-Corruption Network
• Role of Civil Society
• GLOBAL FORUM V ON FIGHTING CORRUPTION AND
  SAFEGUARDING INTEGRITY
• 2nd April 2007

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role of civil society aim

• Use the framework of the United Nations
  Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to identify
  the role of civil society organisations,
  including trade unions.

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role of civil society structure

• United Nations Convention against Corruption
  (UNCAC)
• Coalition of Civil Society Friends of UNCAC
• UNICORN and the Role of Trade Unions
• Protection of Whistleblowers

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role of civil societyUnited Nations Convention
against Corruption (UNCAC)

• Came into force on the 14th December 2005
• First global legal anti-corruption framework
• New international standard/new opportunities

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role of civil societyUnited Nations Convention
against Corruption (UNCAC)

• Civil Society
• (Arts. 9, 10, 13) UNCAC requires governments to
  enhance transparency in public procurement and
  public administration, recommending steps such as
  public access to information on decision-making
  processes, and promoting civil society
  participation in the fight against corruption.
• (Arts. 51-59) UNCAC requires states to take
  steps to support the return of confiscated funds
  to the requesting state, or legitimate owner, and
  the payment of compensation to the victims of
  corruption.
• (Art. 26) UNCAC requires states to establish
  criminal, civil or administrative liability for
  companies.

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role of civil societyUnited Nations Convention
against Corruption (UNCAC)

• Trade Unions
• (Arts. 8 and 9) UNCAC seeks to prevent public
  sector corruption establish recruitment systems
  based on transparency, merit and adequate pay
  provide education and training, especially to
  employees in posts vulnerable to corruption and
  adopt codes of conduct.
• (Art. 33) UNCAC requests states to incorporate
  protection from retaliation, for those who report
  UNCAC offences, into their domestic legal
  systems.

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role of civil societyUnited Nations Convention
against Corruption (UNCAC)

• UNCAC gives civil society a clear mandate
• First Session of the Conference of the States
  Parties, Dead Sea, Dec. 2006 Opening Speech
  Lets Make History at the Dead Sea, UNODC
  Executive Director, Antonio Maria Costa
• The UN Convention against Corruption was
  negotiated, signed and ratified by governments.
  But it belongs to all people 

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role of civil societyCoalition of Civil Society
Friends of UNCAC

• Civil society organisations from 30 countries
  attended first COSP in Jordan
• monitoring/lobbying
• newsletters reporting progress/failures
• joint civil society statement

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role of civil societyCoalition of Civil Society
Friends of UNCAC

• Two Achievements
• Clear message UNCAC belongs to us
• laid foundations for future work
• International/national
• Formally/informally (supported by transparency)

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role of civil societyCoalition of Civil Society
Friends of UNCAC

• International
• Formal
• Submission and consideration of inputs into the
  work of the various Working Groups (Monitoring,
  Asset Recovery, Technical Assistance)
• Provisions for the submission of alternative
  reports (thematic/country) by CSOs directly to
  the international monitoring body.
• Consultation with non-governmental actors
  incorporated into the design of the international
  monitoring system
• Participation of CSOs in Conferences of the
  States Parties

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role of civil societyCoalition of Civil Society
Friends of UNCAC

• International
• Informal
• Sharing Information
• Developing and testing tools (e.g. Country Gap
  Analysis)
• Convening working groups on issues of relevance
  to civil society, such as harassment
• Joint campaigning

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role of civil societyCoalition of Civil Society
Friends of UNCAC

• National
• Formal
• Formal consultations with government
• Formal input to the reporting process
• Participation in expert groups created by
  governments to shadow the thematic working groups
  of the COSP, where these correspond to national
  priorities (e.g., monitoring, asset recovery, TA)

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role of civil societyCoalition of Civil Society
Friends of UNCAC

• National
• Informal
• Monitoring
• Awareness-raising
• Campaigning
• Research on thematic issues

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role of civil societyCoalition of Civil Society
Friends of UNCAC

• Aims
• Mobilise broad global civil society Coalition on
  UNCAC and UNCAC follow up issues
• Facilitate strong civil society action at
  national and international level in support of
  UNCAC ratification, implementation and monitoring
• Further Information/To Join
• Gillian Dell gdell_at_transparency.org
• Kirstine Drew unicorn_at_againstcorruption.org

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role of civil society UNICORN

• What A Global Unions Anti-corruption Network
  supported by the Trade Union Advisory Committee
  to the OECD, Public Services International,
  International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
• Aims mobilise trade unions to combat corruption
• Rationale public sector integrity/whistleblower
  protection
• Activities monitoring multinational companies
  and bribery policy research advocacy/campaigning
  supporting trade unions in combating
  corruption.

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role of civil society trade unions

• characteristics
• Trade unique role dual function
• Public and private sector workers representatives
  
• (Mass) members of civil society
• Other Characteristics
• Globally connected/financially independent  
• Overlap
• anti-corruption agenda
• trade unions core activities as negotiators on
  behalf of workers and as campaigners for
  democracy/social reform/corporate accountability

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role of civil society trade unions

• Philippines Public Services
• Corruption is much more than a bread and butter
  issue like working conditions and salarieswhilst
  these are important, in our context the moral
  issue which is having honest efficient and
  functioning government offices is the
  overwhelming major issue for citizens.
• Annie Geron, General Secretary

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role of civil society trade unions

• PSLINK
• Hotline for public sector workers to report
  corruption
• Produced an anti-graft/corruption tool-kit
• Training members for public procurement watch
• Exposing high level corruption
• Collective v individual risk

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role of civil society protect whistleblowers

• There is evidence from all regions of the world
  that civil society activists have a crucial role
  in promoting transparency and accountability.
  They need to be supported and protected. We note
  with deep concern that in many countries
  activists and others who report or denounce
  corruption are harassed, physically attacked or
  prosecuted.
• We welcome the commitments made under UNCAC to
  protect all whistleblowers. We call on
  governments to incorporate protection from
  retaliation, for those who report corruption,
  under their domestic legal systems.
• (Statement of the Coalition of Civil Society
  Friends of UNCAC 13th December 2006)