Financial Transparency Coalition

Corruption thrives on secrecy, when undisturbed by public access to information about government and business activities. Countering it requires public participation and transparency in anti-corruption efforts and in governance.

This is recognised in the UN Convention against Corruption in Article 13 on civil society participation and access to information and in other UNCAC provisions. Additionally, Article 19 and other provisions of the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, provide for a right to freedom of expression and to access to information held by public bodies and calls on states of their own accord to put information of public interest into the public domain and to establish procedures to enable easy, prompt, effective and practical access to information.

Further, in the UNCAC review mechanism that started up in July 2010 it is of critical importance for its public credibility that these principles be applied. This means a transparent and inclusive mechanism in which civil society organisations can make inputs and all review reports are published in full. It means a mechanism where civil society participation is not simply an optional add-on. The older anti-corruption review mechanisms of the OECD, OAS and Council of Europe GRECO have recognised the importance of these principles.

Read the full report here