UNIS/MA/332
23 October 2023
VIENNA, 23 October (UN Information Service) – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will mark the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) on 31 October with a high-level panel discussion. The discussion will showcase how the Convention has transformed the anti-corruption landscape and look forward to achieving UNCAC’s full implementation.
The event will be opened by UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly, Federal President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen, and Othmar Karas, First Vice-President, European Parliament (via video).
UNCAC is unique. The Convention was drafted and negotiated in Vienna, Austria in 2002-2003 and, subsequently, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 31 October 2003. Today, it is the world’s first and only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument with near universal adherence.
The opening is followed by a panel discussion on “20 years of the Convention: Where are we and where are we heading?” The event will be moderated by Martin Kreutner, Founder and First Dean of the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), and Founder of the European Partners against Corruption Network (EPAC).
A detailed agenda including a list of panellists is available online: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/uncac20/anniversary.html
Time and Venue:
31 October 2023 from 10:00-12:00 (Vienna time), Board room D, Vienna International Centre.
Registration:
Journalists are invited to attend the event, including for a photo opportunity, in person or follow the event live on UN WebTV: https://media.un.org/en/asset/k11/k11kj5n2uj
Journalists who plan to attend in person and are not accredited to the UN in Vienna need to register by 30 October 2023, 12:00 hours by writing to press.vienna[at]un.org.
* *** *
For further information, please contact:
Brian Hansford
Chief, UNODC Advocacy Section
Email: unodc-press[at]un.org
Barbados signed and deposited its instrument of ratification for the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 8 May 2025.
Journalists are invited to cover the 34th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) to be held from 19 to 23 May in Vienna, Austria.
"On this Day of Vesak, I extend my warmest wishes to Buddhists worldwide as they commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha." — António Guterres
"In a world plagued by conflict and division, World Press Freedom Day highlights a fundamental truth: Freedom for people depends on freedom of the press." — António Guterres
