United Nations Convention Against Corruption

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) is the sole legally-binding counter-corruption tool on the international stage. It is a comprehensive treaty, recognizing the highly transnational nature of corruption and detailing preventative and punitive measures.

UNCAC aims to detect and deter all forms of corruption, in both the public and private sectors. These crimes include, but are not limited to, bribery, illegal offshore banking, money laundering, trading in influence, and abuse of power, among others.

Like all international treaties, the Convention is designed to foster cooperation and coordination. It contains both mandatory and non-mandatory provisions, acting as both a guidepost and framework for member states. UNCAC has been instrumental in establishing anti-corruption legislative frameworks on national level and has informed institutional reform on the global scale. Furthermore, although the Convention was ratified by state governments, UNCAC uplifts efforts by civil society and non-governmental organizations by promoting accountability and transparency.

UNCAC details five interconnected goals, each comprising a different chapter of the Convention: preventative measures, criminalization and law enforcement, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance and information exchange. Together, these are the foundations for the UN’s approach to preventing and combating global corruption.

The History of UNCAC

UNCAC was signed in 2003 and entered into force in 2005. It has been an effective counter-corruption instrument since. To date, there have been 10 Conferences of States Parties to UNCAC, 12 meetings to enhance international cooperation, and 17 to work towards asset recovery.

When was UNCAC Drafted and Adopted?

UNCAC was drafted in Vienna, Austria, in 2002-2003. It was negotiated and drafted by the Member States of the United Nations and later adopted by the General Assembly in October 2003. It went into force in December 2005. As of 2025, there are 140 signatories and 192 parties to the Convention, excluding only six states.

Drafting of UNCAC

As a legally binding Convention, the UNCAC was designed to work in concert with extant transnational legal instruments.

Over the course of three years and seven sessions, it was drafted by the Ad Hoc Committee for the Negotiation of a Convention Against Corruption. In light of the Conventions’ broad jurisdiction and multidisciplinary nature, this Committee consisted of an intergovernmental group of experts that were given flexibility and extrabudgetary funds to negotiate the terms and content of document. It was called to assembly in 2000 by a resolution of the General Assembly to the UN.

Before the meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee, however, was an intergovernmental meeting of experts focused on the preparation of draft terms of reference for the negotiation of the future legal instrument against corruption – the instrument that would eventually become UNCAC.

This meeting took place in Vienna, Austria, from July 30 – August 1, 2001. The experts discussed the potential uses of and tools that the nascent UNCAC would need to be effective as an international tool. After analyzing existing anti-corruption tools, the states parties decided that the UNCAC needed to be a legally binding instrument, rather than a flexible set of guidelines.

The following seven sessions of the preparation and negotiation by the Ad Hoc Committee for the UNCAC were all held in Vienna. The drafting began at the first session in January of 2002 and concluded in the sixth session in September/October of 2003.

An eighth session of the Committee was held in January of 2006, also in Vienna, to discuss the rules and procedures of the Conference of States Parties. There had also been an informal, preparatory meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee in 2001, prior to the official sessions. This meeting, which took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, gave states the opportunity to put forth proposals and contributions for the drafters to take into consideration.

Finally, in December 2003, the High-level Political Conference for the Purpose of Signing the UNCAC was held in Mexico. It was hosted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which acts as custodian of UNCAC and serves as Secretariat to its conferences.

The Convention was also opened for signing at UN headquarters in New York City, United States. It was initially signed and ratified by 140 countries, officially cementing UNCAC as a nearly universal, legally binding anti-corruption tool.

Timeline of UNCAC Signings and Ratifications

Acceptance (A) and Approval (AA) of an international treaty have the same legal effect as ratification. A state that has accepted or approved a treaty has consented to be bound by it. In practice, these tools are used by states whose governance system does not require ratification by a head of state to enter into agreements. There is no functional difference between accepting and approving a treaty.

Accession (a) to an international treaty usually occurs after the treaty has entered into force, and has the same legal effect as ratification. States that accede to a treaty were likely not part of the negotiating and drafting process, but agree to its terms. Different treaties, accords, and conventions may have different stipulations or conditions for becoming party to the agreement after its entry into force.

Succession (d) to a treaty occurs when a successor state takes on the legal obligations of the state that previously controlled the territory. Succession may be triggered by the emergence of a new state due to decolonization or dissolution; consequently, the new state must consent to be bound by the international agreements to which the predecessor state was party.

Country	Signature Date	Ratification Date	Ratification Code
Afghanistan	02/20/2004	08/25/2008
Albania	12/18/2003	05/25/2006
Algeria	12/09/2003	08/25/2004
Angola	12/10/2003	08/29/2006
Antigua and Barbuda		06/21/2006	a
Argentina	12/10/2003	08/28/2006
Armenia	05/19/2005	03/08/2007
Australia	12/09/2003	12/07/2005
Austria	12/10/2003	01/11/2006
Azerbaijan	02/27/2004	11/01/2005
Bahamas (The)		01/10/2008	a
Bahrain	02/08/2005	10/05/2010
Bangladesh		02/27/2007	a
Barbados	12/10/2003	10/10/2023
Belarus	04/28/2004	02/17/2005
Belgium	12/10/2003	09/25/2008
Belize		12/12/2016	a
Benin	12/10/2003	10/14/2004
Bhutan 1	09/15/2005	09/27/2023	a
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	12/09/2003	12/05/2005
Bosnia and Herzegovina	09/16/2005	10/26/2006
Botswana		06/27/2011	a
Brazil	12/09/2003	06/15/2005
Brunei Darussalam	12/11/2003	12/02/2008
Bulgaria	12/10/2003	09/20/2006
Burkina Faso	12/10/2003	10/10/2006
Burundi		03/10/2006	a
Cabo Verde	12/09/2003	04/23/2008
Cambodia		09/05/2007	a
Cameroon	12/10/2003	02/06/2006
Canada	05/21/2004	10/02/2007
Central African Republic	02/11/2004	10/06/2006
Chad		06/26/2018	a
Chile	12/11/2003	09/13/2006
China 2	12/10/2003	01/13/2006
Colombia	12/10/2003	10/27/2006
Comoros	12/10/2003	10/11/2012
Congo		07/13/2006	a
Cook Islands		10/17/2011	a
Costa Rica	12/10/2003	03/21/2007
Côte d’Ivoire	12/10/2003	10/25/2012
Croatia	12/10/2003	04/24/2005
Cuba	12/09/2005	02/09/2007
Cyprus	12/09/2003	02/23/2009
Czech Republic	04/22/2005	11/29/2013
Democratic Republic of the Congo		09/23/2010	a
Denmark 3	12/10/2003	12/26/2006
Djibouti	06/17/2004	04/20/2005
Dominica		05/28/2010	a
Dominican Republic	12/10/2003	10/26/2006
Ecuador	12/10/2003	09/15/2005
Egypt	12/09/2003	02/25/2005
El Salvador	12/10/2003	07/01/2004
Equatorial Guinea		05/30/2018	a
Estonia		04/12/2010	a
Eswatini	09/15/2005	09/24/2012
Ethiopia	12/10/2003	11/26/2007
European Union	09/15/2005	11/12/2008	AA
Fiji		05/14/2008	a
Finland	12/09/2003	06/20/2006	A
France	12/09/2003	07/11/2005
Gabon	12/10/2003	10/01/2007
Gambia		07/08/2015	a
Georgia		11/04/2008	a
Germany	12/09/2003	11/12/2014
Ghana	12/09/2004	06/27/2007
Greece	12/10/2003	09/17/2008
Grenada		04/01/2015	a
Guatemala	12/09/2003	11/03/2006
Guinea	07/15/2005	05/29/2013
Guinea-Bissau		09/10/2007	a
Guyana		04/16/2008	a
Haiti	12/10/2003	09/14/2009
Holy See		09/19/2016	a
Honduras	05/17/2004	05/23/2005
Hungary	12/10/2003	04/19/2005
Iceland		03/01/2011	a
India	12/09/2005	05/09/2011
Indonesia	12/18/2003	09/19/2006
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	12/09/2003	04/20/2009
Iraq		03/17/2008	a
Ireland	12/09/2003	11/09/2011
Israel 4	11/29/2005	02/04/2009
Italy	12/09/2003	10/05/2009
Jamaica	09/16/2005	03/05/2008
Japan	12/09/2003	07/11/2017	A
Jordan	12/09/2003	02/24/2005
Kazakhstan		06/18/2008	a
Kenya 5	12/09/2003	12/09/2003
Kiribati		09/27/2013	a
Kuwait	12/09/2003	02/16/2007
Kyrgyzstan	12/10/2003	09/16/2005
Lao People’s Democratic Republic	12/10/2003	09/25/2009
Latvia	05/19/2005	01/04/2006
Lebanon		04/22/2009	a
Lesotho	09/16/2005	09/16/2005
Liberia		09/16/2005	a
Libya	12/23/2003	06/07/2005
Liechtenstein	12/10/2003	07/08/2010
Lithuania	12/10/2003	12/21/2006
Luxembourg	12/10/2003	11/06/2007
Madagascar	12/10/2003	09/22/2004
Malawi	09/21/2004	12/04/2007
Malaysia	12/09/2003	09/24/2008
Maldives		03/22/2007	a
Mali	12/09/2003	04/18/2008
Malta	05/12/2005	04/11/2008
Marshall Islands		11/17/2011	a
Mauritania		10/25/2006	a
Mauritius	12/09/2003	12/15/2004
Mexico	12/09/2003	07/20/2004
Micronesia (Federated States of)		03/21/2012	a
Mongolia	04/29/2005	01/11/2006
Montenegro 6		10/23/2006	d
Morocco	12/09/2003	05/09/2007
Mozambique 7	05/25/2004	04/09/2008
Myanmar	12/02/2005	12/20/2012
Namibia	12/09/2003	08/03/2004
Nauru		07/12/2012	a
Nepal	12/10/2003	03/29/2011
Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 8	12/10/2003	10/31/2006	A
New Zealand 9	12/10/2003	12/01/2015
Nicaragua	12/10/2003	02/15/2006
Niger		08/11/2008	a
Nigeria	12/09/2003	12/14/2004
Niue		10/03/2017	a
North Macedonia	08/18/2005	04/13/2007
Norway	12/09/2003	06/29/2006
Oman		01/09/2014	a
Pakistan	12/09/2003	08/31/2007
Palau		03/24/2009	a
Panama	12/10/2003	09/23/2005
Papua New Guinea	12/22/2004	07/16/2007
Paraguay	12/09/2003	06/01/2005
Peru	12/10/2003	11/16/2004
Philippines	12/09/2003	11/08/2006
Poland	12/10/2003	09/15/2006
Portugal	12/11/2003	09/28/2007
Qatar	12/01/2005	01/30/2007
Republic of Korea	12/10/2003	03/27/2008
Republic of Moldova	09/28/2004	10/01/2007
Romania	12/09/2003	11/02/2004
Russian Federation	12/09/2003	05/09/2006
Rwanda	11/30/2004	10/04/2006
Samoa		04/16/2018	a
San Marino		09/25/2025	a
Sao Tome and Principe	12/08/2005	04/12/2006
Saudi Arabia	01/09/2004	04/29/2013
Senegal	12/09/2003	11/16/2005
Serbia	12/11/2003	12/20/2005
Seychelles	02/27/2004	03/16/2006
Sierra Leone	12/09/2003	09/30/2004
Singapore	11/11/2005	11/06/2009
Slovakia	12/09/2003	06/01/2006
Slovenia		04/01/2008	a
Solomon Islands		01/06/2012	a
Somalia		08/11/2021	a
South Africa	12/09/2003	11/22/2004
South Sudan		01/23/2015	a
Spain	09/16/2005	06/19/2006
Sri Lanka	03/15/2004	03/31/2004
St. Kitts and Nevis		08/07/2024	a
St. Lucia		11/18/2011	a
State of Palestine		04/02/2014	a
Sudan	01/14/2005	09/05/2014
Suriname		11/18/2021	a
Sweden	12/09/2003	09/25/2007
Switzerland	12/10/2003	09/24/2009
Syrian Arab Republic	12/09/2003
Tajikistan		09/25/2006	a
Thailand	12/09/2003	03/01/2011
Timor-Leste	12/10/2003	03/27/2009
Togo	12/10/2003	07/06/2005
Tonga		02/06/2020	a
Trinidad and Tobago	12/11/2003	05/31/2006
Tunisia	03/30/2004	09/23/2008
Türkiye	12/10/2003	11/09/2006
Turkmenistan		03/28/2005	a
Tuvalu		09/04/2015	a
Uganda	12/09/2003	09/09/2004
Ukraine 10, 11	12/11/2003	12/02/2009
United Arab Emirates	08/10/2005	02/22/2006
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 12, 13, 14	12/09/2003	02/09/2006
United Republic of Tanzania	12/09/2003	05/25/2005
United States of America	12/09/2003	10/30/2006
Uruguay	12/09/2003	01/10/2007
Uzbekistan		07/29/2008	a
Vanuatu		07/12/2011	a
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	12/10/2003	02/02/2009
Viet Nam	12/10/2003	08/19/2009
Yemen	12/11/2003	11/07/2005
Zambia	12/11/2003	12/07/2007
Zimbabwe	02/20/2004	03/08/2007

UNCAC Provisions of the Convention

The Convention has eight chapters and 71 provisions. These chapters are: general provisions, the five listed goals (see below), mechanisms for implementation, and final provisions. They include mandatory and non-mandatory provisions, with the majority being mandatory.

Areas of Focus

The UNCAC is structured around eight chapters, but it focuses on five main areas that serve as the pillars of the global fight against corruption.

Chapter II: Preventive Measures
Focuses on actively stopping corruption before it happens. Their key focus is on promoting integrity, transparency, and accountability in both the public and private sectors. For example, they may establish anti-corruption bodies, adopt codes of conduct for public officials, enhance transparency in public procurement (government buying), or ensure public access to information.

Chapter III: Criminalization and Law Enforcement
This chapter addresses the need to define and prosecute corrupt acts.They require countries to establish specific acts of corruption as criminal offenses under their domestic law. This might include criminalizing bribery (of national and foreign officials), embezzlement, money laundering, and obstruction of justice.

Chapter IV: International Cooperation
Recognizing that corruption is often a cross-border crime, this chapter focuses on how countries work together. It focuses on providing a framework for mutual legal assistance (sharing evidence/information), extradition of suspects, and cooperation between law enforcement agencies.

Chapter V: Asset Recovery
This is one of the Convention’s most innovative features, which makes the return of stolen assets a fundamental principle. Establishing rules and mechanisms to trace, freeze, confiscate, and return the proceeds of corruption to the country from which they were stolen.

Chapter VI: Technical Assistance and Information Exchange
This chapter supports the implementation of the entire Convention by encouraging developed countries to provide assistance (training, resources, and technical expertise) to developing countries to help them meet the UNCAC’s requirements.

Brief Definition of Conference of States Parties (CoSP)

The Conference of States Parties is the policymaking body of UNCAC. It was established to assist states in implementing the Convention, enable cooperation between states, and to guide UNODC in its anti-corruption activities. The CoSP oversees 4 subsidiary bodies that are responsible for monitoring different aspects of the Convention. These are:

• The Implementation Review Group reviews states and handles the technical assistances required to effectively implement the Convention. It holds a maximum of one session and two resumed sessions annually.
• The Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Prevention advises and assists the CoSP on its first stated goal, preventative measures. It meets once annually.
• The third group, the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Asset Recovery concentrates on returning the ill-gotten gains of corrupt actors. It holds an intersessional meeting each year.
• The final body, the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Meeting to Enhance International Cooperation, focuses on advising and assisting states in coordinated action against corruption. This includes mutual legal assistance, extradition, transfer of proceedings, joint investigations, special investigations and techniques, and more. It meets once per year.

Learn more about CoSP and the subsidiary bodies:
Conference of State Parties: An Overview

History of Sessions

Session	Date & Location	Key Focus and Achievements
CoSP1 Resolutions & Decisions Documentation	December 10-14, 2006 (Amman, Jordan)	States Parties agreed that an appropriate and effective mechanism was necessary to review the implementation of the UNCAC, leading to the creation of intergovernmental working groups to begin designing this mechanism.
CoSP2 Resolutions & Decisions Documentation	Jan. 28–Feb. 1, 2008 (Nusa Dua, Indonesia)	Further discussions on the implementation review mechanism, emphasizing a balanced geographical approach and avoiding adversarial or punitive elements.
CoSP3 Resolutions & Decisions Documentation	November 9-13, 2009 (Doha, Qatar)	Adopted the landmark Resolution 3/1, establishing the Implementation Review Mechanism (IRM). This mechanism allows States Parties to peer-review their national anti-corruption laws and institutions for compliance with the UNCAC. The session also established the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Prevention.
CoSP4 Resolutions & Decisions Documentation	October 24-28, 2011 (Marrakech, Morocco)	Focused on the progress of the IRM and the importance of addressing technical assistance needs identified through the review process. Established Expert Group Meetings on International Cooperation.
CoSP5 Resolutions & Decisions Documentation	November 25-29, 2013 (Panama City, Panama)	Focused on the critical link between corruption and the post-2015 development agenda (pre-SDGs). The session placed a strong emphasis on international cooperation in law enforcement (adopting Resolution 5/1) and asset recovery. It also addressed the importance of the private sector in prevention and launched discussions that would eventually lead to the “Panama Declaration” by the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) held in parallel.
CoSP6 Resolutions & Decisions Documentation	November 2015 (St. Petersburg, Russia)	Passed resolutions urging States Parties to cooperate on asset recovery (returning stolen public funds) and to improve procedures for the seizure and restraint of assets.
CoSP7 Resolutions & Decisions Documentation	November 6-10, 2017 (Vienna, Austria)	Marked a significant expansion of the anti-corruption agenda into new sectors, specifically adopting a landmark resolution on safeguarding sport from corruption (Resolution 7/8). The session also focused heavily on strengthening mutual legal assistance (MLA) for asset recovery and international cooperation, as well as addressing the specific implementation challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
CoSP8 Resolutions & Decisions Documentation	December 2019 (Abu Dhabi, UAE)	Adopted several resolutions, including those celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Implementation Review Mechanism and focusing on safeguarding sport from corruption and enhancing integrity in the public sector.
Special session of the Conference	May 7, 2021 (VIenna, Austria)	A focused procedural session held specifically to approve the draft political declaration titled “Our common commitment to effectively addressing challenges and implementing measures to prevent and combat corruption.” This declaration was subsequently transmitted to the General Assembly for formal adoption at the historic UNGASS 2021 in June.
CoSP9 Resolutions & Decisions Documentation	December 2021 (Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt)	The first session organized in a hybrid (in-person and virtual) format due to the global context. Resolutions included a focus on new challenges related to international cooperation during times of emergencies and a resolution on beneficial ownership transparency to facilitate asset recovery.
CoSP10 Resolutions & Decisions Documentation	December 2023 (Atlanta, USA)	Concluded with the adoption of the “Atlanta 2023” resolution, which emphasizes integrity, accountability, and transparency. It also saw record participation from civil society and the private sector, and extended the Second Cycle of the Implementation Review Mechanism to June 2026.
CoSP11 Resolution (NA) Documentation	December 2025 (Doha, Qatar)	Coming in 2026.

UNCAC Coalition

The UNCAC Coalition is a global network of civil society organizations that promotes and monitors the implementation of the Convention. It is not affiliated with the UN, but many member organizations participate in the CoSP as non-state observers. The stated vision of the Coalition is to create a “world of just and open societies with equal opportunities for all.” The Coalition aims to work in concert with the UNCAC as an on-the-ground network that can provide increased access to information, transparency, and protection for whistleblowers and anti-corruption activists.

UNCAC Coalition Purpose

Members of the Coalition engage in joint action, openly exchange information and resources, and uplift civil society worldwide. Although organizations cannot sign the Convention, civil society participation is explicitly recognized by Article 13 of the UNCAC as being vital to global anti-corruption efforts.

Implementation of UNCAC

The Convention is implemented by individual state governments. To ensure that provisions are being adequately adhered to, the UNCAC grants the CoSP the ability to create mechanisms and bodies as necessary to aid in action and cooperation. In 2009, at the third session of the CoSP in Doha, Qatar, the Conference created the Implementation Review Mechanism.

This body oversees implementation of the Convention as well as the peer review. This review takes place over five-year cycles, with different states being considered in each. Reviews are done in three phases: first, states perform a self-review; then, two peer states, chosen by lots, perform their own audits; finally, the reviews publish a report on the implementation of the Convention, which is then made available to the public.

National Whistleblower Center and IWAs Proposal

The National Whistleblower Center, IWA, and supporters are asking State Parties NGOs and Human Rights Defenders to endorse a series of law enforcement tools that they believe are essential for the detection and successful prosecution of corrupt activities, money laundering and foreign bribery. More than 50 civil society organizations and anti-corruption practitioners/activists have already endorsed the proposal.