Introduction

For any country to succeed in fighting corruption, it has to cooperate and coordinate with other countries. To this end, governments have adopted global and regional anti-corruption conventions. The most comprehensive anti-corruption convention is the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

In essence, conventions are international and regional agreements signed or formally adopted through ratification by multiple states that establish rules, laws and standards on issues which are typically cross-border in nature and require a common approach for effective, multilateral cooperation.

Today, there is no shortage of agreements between governments to tackle corruption. What is lacking is their effective and consistent implementation, in ways that benefit people in their daily lives.

International cooperation is essential to fight large-scale, cross-border corruption. One of the most effective ways to put pressure on powerful actors is to simply shine a light on their (lack of) progress towards their own commitments.

Check out our topic guide below, which lists relevant international anti-corruption commitments.