UNIS/CP/1173
15 December 2023

UN anti-corruption conference concludes in Atlanta reaffirming commitment to UN Convention against Corruption

ATLANTA, 15 December (UN Information Service) - The tenth session of the Conference of the States Parties (CoSP) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption has concluded with the adoption of the resolution ‘Atlanta 2023: promoting integrity, accountability and transparency in the fight against corruption’ and a clear message – the world needs to unite all of society to safeguard the rule of law and restore trust in institutions.

The ‘Atlanta 2023’ resolution focuses on accountability, both to the Convention and in holding corrupt actors responsible for their actions. It emphasizes the need for governments to be responsive and accountable to their citizens and everyone to be accountable to each other.

This year, the conference saw record participation with over 2,000 government representatives from 160 countries, over 900 from civil society organizations, as well as the private sector, and young people. For the first time, the Conference was addressed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) YouthLED Integrity Advisory Board member, Dexter Yang, who called for enhanced action to work with youth for youth.

"We, the youth, are victims of corruption. Victims deprived of opportunities and robbed of the future we dream of. As victims of corruption, we must have a say in solving this problem," said Dexter Yang.

“The tenth session of the CoSP has sent an important message: that the goals of the Convention are both timeless and timely, and that there is so much potential for the Convention to have greater impact,” said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly. She added that this Conference has shown “that the Convention is more relevant than ever in these times of fragile trust and challenges to the rule of law.”

Other resolutions adopted at the session address key issues such as measuring corruption and the effectiveness of anti-corruption frameworks, beneficial ownership, international cooperation in civil and administrative proceedings against corruption, corruption and the private sector, the implementation of the Convention in small island developing States, and for the first time such issues as procurement, whistle-blower protection, and the links between corruption and organized crime. 

The Conference saw a Civil Society Forum, a Young Changemakers Event, and the UNODC-UN Global Compact Private Sector Forum, which brought together global leaders paving the way to meaningful engagement of these stakeholders in the implementation of the Convention.

The impact of corruption on climate change mitigation and the protection of rich biodiversity of our planet was also discussed, alongside the issues of illegal mining, deforestation and green transition, among others.

Asset recovery, international cooperation, gender, human rights and other thematic-focused special events were organized to support practitioners in their efforts to implement the Convention.

As the Convention celebrates 20 years of its existence this year, the international anti-corruption community took stock of achievements while paving the way forward – uniting 190 parties to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table.  

States parties adopted decisions to extend the Second Cycle of the Implementation Review Mechanism of the Convention to June 2026 and for Qatar to host the eleventh session of the CoSP in 2025.