• The United Nations observes International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9 annually and highlights the action people can take to tackle corruption.

• The 2023 International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) marks the twentieth anniversary of the UN Convention Against Corruption. 

• The United Nations Convention Against Corruption is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. 

Impact of corruption

• Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that affects all countries. Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slows economic development and contributes to governmental instability.

• It encompasses a huge range of activities including the misuse of public power, office or authority for private benefit, through bribery, extortion, influence peddling, nepotism, fraud or embezzlement.

• The annual volume of bribes worldwide is estimated at $1 trillion. Corruption causes the global economy to lose $2.6 trillion, accounting for more than 5 per cent of global GDP.

• It can erode basic public functions and the quality of life of people depriving them of their rights and access to services. 

• It also impoverishes countries and stifles economic growth, even of whole regions, and allows organized crime, terrorism and other illegal activities to flourish.

• Corruption attacks the foundation of democratic institutions by distorting electoral processes, perverting the rule of law and creating bureaucratic quagmires, whose only reason for existing is the soliciting of bribes. 

• Corruption has negative impacts on every aspect of society and is profoundly intertwined with conflict and instability, jeopardizing social and economic development and undermining democratic institutions and the rule of law.

• Corruption not only follows conflict, but is also frequently one of its root causes. It fuels conflict and inhibits peace processes by undermining the rule of law, worsening poverty, facilitating the illicit use of resources, and providing financing for armed conflict.

• When corruption is widespread, foreign direct investments are discouraged and businesses are reluctant to invest in national markets where competition is not fair or transparent. That hurts national economies and in turn impacts the people that governments are elected to serve.

• With deepening corruption, countries will find it increasingly difficult to make progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, the 17 targets agreed by countries around the world to end poverty, improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere, whilst protecting the planet.

• Preventing corruption, promoting transparency, and strengthening institutions is crucial, if the targets foreseen in the Sustainable Development Goals are to be met.

United Nations Convention against Corruption

• On October 31, 2003, the UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption and requested that the Secretary-General designate the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as the secretariat for the Convention’s Conference of States Parties. 

• Since then, 190 parties have committed to the Convention’s anti-corruption obligations, showing near-universal recognition of the importance of good governance, accountability, and political commitment.

• The General Assembly also designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day. The Convention entered into force in December 2005.

• 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. 

• The Convention covers many different forms of corruption, such as bribery, trading in influence, abuse of functions, and various acts of corruption in the private sector. 

Under the Convention the Member States are legally obliged to:

i) Prevent and criminalise corruption.

ii) Promote international cooperation.

iii) Recover and return stolen assets.

iv) Improve technical assistance and information exchange in both the private and public sectors.

• A highlight of the Convention is the inclusion of a specific chapter on asset recovery, aimed at returning assets to their rightful owners, including countries from which they had been taken illicitly. 

• Over the past 13 years, it is estimated that $4.3 billion in corruption proceeds have been returned to countries around the world.

• The United States has reported the largest volume of confiscated, seized, and repatriated proceeds of corruption. Switzerland, Singapore and Liechtenstein are also among those that have returned large assets to their countries of origin. 

• Nigeria and Malaysia reported receiving the largest amounts of corruption-related assets from foreign jurisdictions. Between 2018 and 2023, Malaysia recovered more than US$1.2 billion in assets related to a massive fraud involving a sovereign fund. Nigeria reported receiving $1.2 billion in repatriated corruption proceeds.

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