Attachments
Introduction
Corruption fuels global instability by eroding trust in public institutions, deepening inequality and inciting conflict. It weakens public confidence in government institutions by eroding their impartiality and effectiveness. This loss of trust can lead to political instability, creating conditions ripe for civil unrest, as citizens view the State as illegitimate and incapable of delivering essential services.
Corruption diverts public resources for the benefit of a few and exacerbates inequality and exclusion. When these disparities align with ethnic, religious or ideological divisions, they can heighten grievances and lead to public disorder or violent conflict. In fragile settings, corruption entrenches impunity, allowing powerful actors to evade accountability. This further diminishes the rule of law and encourages violence as an alternative to peaceful dispute resolution.
Marginalized groups may see corruption as a tool used by elites to retain power, fuelling resentment and creating conditions that enable extremist groups to thrive. Corruption also finances conflict through bribery, extortion and embezzlement, generating illicit financial flows that deprive countries of critical resources. These funds often support insurgents or organized criminal networks.
In this way, corruption can jeopardize efforts to maintain international peace and security and undermine the implementation of core United Nations mandates and programmes in conflict-affected settings. Addressing corruption is therefore central to achieving sustainable peace and stability.
While combating corruption is inherently a long-term effort, United Nations entities should seek to support, within their mandates, early and visible efforts that are led and owned by national authorities. One such avenue is the Implementation Review Mechanism (IRM) of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), facilitated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in its role as Secretariat for all States Parties to the Convention. This mechanism enables States to identify concrete recommendations for strengthening implementation of the Convention’s obligations, promoting citizen engagement, driving reform efforts and signalling a commitment to change. Engagement through this mechanism can help prevent corruption from becoming institutionalized and contribute to restoring public confidence in national institutions.
Since 2020, a series of high-level political commitments and policy frameworks have shaped United Nations engagement on corruption, culminating in the Pact for the Future, an international agreement focusing on countries’ commitment to the United Nations, the international system and international law. These developments highlight the importance of applying an anti-corruption lens to ensure that support to national institutions is strategically designed to help reduce systemic corruption and aligns with broader peace and security objectives.
Mission leadership plays a critical role in fostering a nuanced understanding of when, where and how to address corruption issues effectively, using the leverage of Security Council mandates to build political consensus and apply sustained pressure on national actors. This was acknowledged by the Global Task Force on Corruption, which was established in 2019 to harness and strengthen UN systemwide efforts against corruption, and is co-chaired by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In its United Nations Common Position to Address Global Corruption,1 the Task Force recommended that missions systematically integrate corruption risks and vulnerabilities into their multidimensional analyses, to better inform both political and technical engagement.