Joint Statement for Immediate Release – 13th August 2024
We, the undersigned civil society organisations (CSOs), call for the improved involvement and participation of civil society in the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) review process in Zambia. Article 13 of the UNCAC, mandates State Parties – of which Zambia is part – to take appropriate measures to promote the active participation of societies outside the public sector, such as civil society, non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations, in the prevention of and the fight against corruption. Furthermore, together with over 60 other countries, Zambia committed to three principles for more transparency and participation in the UNCAC review process at the 10th UNCAC Conference of the States Parties in the USA in December 2023, including publishing information on how civil society and non-state actors can engage in the review and follow up process.
Since the UNCAC Review Mechanism was adopted in 2009, there have been many positive examples from around the world on how to conduct the country review process in a transparent and inclusive manner. Some countries have led the way by proactively publishing their self-assessment checklists and full country reports, while others have enabled civil society input at various stages of the review process and supported its participation on the international stage, as was the case in Nigeria and Togo, for example.
In Zambia, the Second cycle UNCAC review country visit is set to take place from 13th to 15th August 2024, with peer reviewers from Algeria and the Central African Republic expected to meet government representatives and other stakeholders to review Zambia’s compliance with UNCAC provisions and progress in the implementation of UNCAC. In November 2023, TI-Z with the support of the UNCAC Coalition published a civil society parallel report on UNCAC implementation, containing 14 key recommendations aimed at addressing existing gaps in the anti-corruption framework. Such recommendations provide a crucial independent perspective on UNCAC implementation and serve as a fundamental tool to the UNCAC review process.
Now, as the review process is underway, it is key that civil society is consulted to further develop on these and other recommendations. To date, however, Zambian CSOs have not been involved in the said review process, despite multiple engagements with representatives from governments’ agencies such as the Zambian Anti-Corruption Commission. We, the undersigned Zambian CSOs perceive the government’s limited transparency and facilitation of civil society participation as deeply problematic and potentially symptomatic of – at best – an underlying lack of interest in promoting the active participation of civil society in the fight against corruption, or – at worst – of a proactive attempt to exclude civil society from the review process.
Zambian CSOs emphasize that such a stance is fundamentally at odds with Zambia’s engagements prescribed by it being a State Party to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Further, research findings from recent years, such as the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, indicated that Zambia needs to implement actions to improve transparency in order to improve the CPI score in future. Therefore, the recent CPI score improvements risk being undermined if civil society is restrained from participating in prevention corruption and monitoring mechanisms such as the implementation of the UNCAC. We therefore join voices to demand that Zambian CSOs be meaningfully included in the UNCAC review process.
Raymond Mutale (Mr.)
Acting Executive Director
Transparency International Zambia
For and on Behalf of
- ActionAid Zambia
- Alliance for Accountability Advocates Zambia
- Alliance for Community Action
- Chapter One Foundation
- Christian Churches Monitoring Group
- GEARS Initiative Zambia
- Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
- Misa Zambia
- Panos Institute Southern Africa
- Transparency International Zambia
- Zambia Council for Social Development
