For information only - not an official document
UNIS/CP/1002
3 November 2017
The Seventh Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption at Vienna International Centre (6-10 November 2017)
VIENNA, 3 November 2017 (UN Information Service) - More than 1,600 participants will meet in Vienna this month to discuss efforts to tackle corruption around the world, at the Seventh Session of the Conference of the States Parties (COSP7) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). UNCAC was adopted 14 years ago and is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. The guardian of the Convention is the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and, every two years, States Parties to the Convention meet to review implementation of the Convention and discuss how States can better tackle corruption.
At the opening of the Sixth Session, held in the Russian Federation in 2015, Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, remarked that "[b]y working towards the full and effective implementation of the Convention, we can help build accountable and transparent institutions that provide public services without discrimination, enabling people to make the most of opportunities, realize their potential and live healthy and productive lives".
At the current Seventh Session, the Conference is expected to concentrate on key issues regarding the review of the implementation of the Convention, asset recovery, international cooperation, prevention and technical assistance.
Participants from Member States, parliaments, inter-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector are expected to attend COSP7 to review the implementation of UNCAC and discuss how to better tackle corruption.
Key events open to the media
The plenary sessions of the conference are open to the media. On Monday 6 November, the high-level opening will be addressed by Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC.
There is a range of special events taking place in Vienna on various topics related to combating corruption. For the full programme go to:
http://www.unodc.org/documents/corruption/COSP7/COSP7_Programme_Flyer.pdf
Monday, 6 November
Plenary: High-level opening and general discussion (10 a.m., M Plenary)
Special events on the links between corruption and violent extremism; corruption linked to wildlife crime; integrity, transparency and preventive policies; and role of citizen engagement in combating corruption.
Tuesday, 7 November
Plenary: General discussion followed by Prevention
Special events on Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative day; judicial integrity and corruption prevention; judicial integrity to combat drug trafficking and organized crime; consultation workshop on the UN Global Compact's Action Platform; and good practices in civil society engagement in the Review Mechanism.
Wednesday, 8 November
Plenary discussions on asset recovery and international cooperation, and review of implementation of the Convention and technical assistance
Special events on business integrity; corruption in sport; anticorruption measures in prisons; SDGs and combating corruption; role of financial intelligence units in combating corruption; status of article 26 of UNCAC; and role of academia in anticorruption efforts.
Thursday, 9 November
Plenary discussions on review of implementation of the Convention and technical assistance
Special events on revisiting the Jakarta principle; follow up on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda; fighting corruption in cities; integrity in State-owned enterprises; prevention and integrity in public administration; 7 th Forum of Parliamentarians; economic cybercrime and corruption; illicit financial flows in developing countries: role of the media and civil society; and corruption risk management.
Friday, 10 November
Plenary session provisional agenda for the eighth session, and consideration and adoption of the report
Special events on international law and corruption; public procurement and corruption; and democracy and corruption.
Webcasting
The plenary will be webcast live and some other key events. To see the live webcasting go to:
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/corruption/COSP/session7-webcast.html
Available for Media Interviews
Experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime are available for interviews.
Websites for further information
Further information for the media is available here:
http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/events/2017/cosp7_2017.html
For the Conference website go to: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/corruption/COSP/session7.html
The programme is available here: http://www.unodc.org/documents/corruption/COSP7/COSP7_Programme_Flyer.pdf
For the official documents in all UN official languages go to: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/corruption/COSP/session7-documents.html
For more information on UNODC's work against corruption visit:
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/corruption/index.html?ref=menuside
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For information about media accreditation contact:
Veronika
Crowe-Mayerhofer
Telephone: +79 2143 84673
Email: press[at]unvienna.org
For further information contact:
Katharina
Goetze
Information Officer, UNIS Vienna
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-4949
Mobile: (+43-699) 1459-4949
Email: katharina.goetze[at]unvienna.org
Follow @UNODC and @UN_Vienna on Twitter and join the conversation using #NoToCorruption.
