Govts head to UN summit to agree new anti-corruption standards

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On Monday, governments will gather in Doha, Qatar, for the UN’s biennial anti-corruption conference. They will discuss global action against corruption and assess the commitments they have made under the world’s only global anti-corruption treaty – which entered into force 20 years ago – and agree how it should be updated to meet today’s political and economic realities. 

The stakes could hardly be higher. Political systems are straining under the weight of opaque money, and eroding public trust in authorities that is fuelling the wave of anti-government and anti-corruption protests that have erupted in countries around the world in recent months. As Transparency International’s policy and research expert Jorge Valladares wrote in The Diplomat: citizens everywhere are living with the consequences of money in politics operating out of sight, from public contracts steered to well-connected donors, to anonymous funding schemes that tilt competition without voters ever knowing who is bankrolling power. 

In this context, a central test of governments’ ambition next week will be whether they back the first-ever resolution on transparency in political finance to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). A resolution is a negotiated agreement which guides governments on how the convention is interpreted and implemented in their countries. Political finance – the money used to run election campaigns and support parties – has long been a focus of Transparency International’s push to strengthen openness and accountability, and securing this resolution is something we have been advocating for years.  

Although the convention already calls on states to enhance transparency in the funding of political parties and candidates, implementation has been patchy at best. Weak regulation, permissive loopholes and poor enforcement in many countries still allow private – and at times foreign – interests to shape elections and policy without public scrutiny. 

This is why the political finance resolution tabled by Norway, Albania, Ghana and Mongolia is so significant. If governments back it, their commitment would send a clear signal that they mean business. It would also give citizens and civil society stronger leverage to demand reforms at home and hold leaders to account for the promises they make on the global stage.  

There is strong public appetite for reform. Yesterday, 159 organisations from all continents urged governments to endorse a strong resolution. Their message was clear: publish political finance data online and promptly, identify donors, shut down the channels that allow anonymous money to flow through the shadows, and protect election observers and whistleblowers who expose abuses. 

Corruption, of course, reaches beyond the conduct of elections. It drives environmental destruction and climate harm, from illegal logging and illicit mining to the diversion of climate finance for private gain. In a positive step, this year’s UN convention will devote an entire day to environment and climate issues. 

 A new resolution on crimes that affect the environment, tabled by Brazil and Namibia, alongside an initiative from Small Island Developing States on climate, gives governments a chance to acknowledge the role of corruption in environmental destruction and commit to stronger enforcement to tackle it.  

Alongside new resolutions, governments will also determine the next phase of the UN convention’s Implementation Review Mechanism – the backbone of how states assess progress and follow through on their commitments. A more transparent, inclusive and effective mechanism would allow governments, civil society and oversight bodies to better track whether reforms are actually happening in practice, identify where support is needed, and sustain momentum beyond Doha. Strengthening the mechanism now would help ensure UNCAC remains a living instrument rather than a set of static promises.   

Be part of the anti-corruption conversation 

The International Anti-Corruption Conference will be held in the Dominican Republic in December 2026. For those who are interested in participating in the conference and helping shape the agenda, you can submit your suggestions for a workshop session now. The deadline for proposals is 23 February 2026. – Transparency International