What do Algeria, Angola, China, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Venezuela and Zimbabwe have in common? Hard to tell at first glance of the good mix… but they do actually have something very powerful in common - these nine states believe that their citizens should not be made aware of corruption, either in their country or the world.

On Monday November 9, 141 countries came together for the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) which included measures to tackle corrupt practices, including bribery, embezzlement and money laundering. All 141 countries met for a week in Doha to try and agree on a review mechanism that would give the treaty some teeth. But after the week was done, it was clear that UNCAC came out with a rather toothless bite…

These nine countries teamed up and refused to sign off on these key elements: mandatory country visits by other nations to assess anti-corruption protocols, and the publication of findings and the involvement of non-governmental organisations in visits. Makes you wonder what they have to hide. Their refusal moved UNCAC two steps backwards, settling for a weak compromise which does not ensure transparency or accountability.

UNCAC was meant to be the super hero fighting corruption, with 141 signatories, but now instead of a treaty with direct action, it’s just a page with 141 scribbled signatures...

And well, you don’t have to be a genius to figure out that one of the main reasons poor nations stay poor is because of corruption. So here’s to scandolous winning this battle. The question is will the UNCAC say 'c’est la vie' to the £603 billion that get’s stashed away through bribes, profits from criminal activities and tax evasion, or will they lobby to put pressure on the nine countries? Let’s hope the baddies lose this war. 
 

Words: Yumna Martin. Ctrl.Alt.Shift staff writer Yumna is not the biggest fan of corruption.

To find out more about UNCAC Civil Society Coalition, click here.