Letter to the Minister for Security RE: supporting political finance resolutions at upcoming UNCAC CoSP
Dear Minister,
We write to you as Chairs of the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition (UKACC), which brings together the UK’s leading organisations working on anti-corruption, illicit finance, procurement, and public integrity.
With over 50 countries going to the polls next year, 2024 is considered the biggest election year in history. With this in mind, we wish to draw attention to an area of concern that requires immediate international attention and leadership at the gathering of the 10th Session of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), Conference of the States Parties in 2023: political finance transparency.
Campaign finance is still the weakest area of electoral integrity. The UN Convention has indicated that this is an area for corruption risk, yet to date it has been largely unaddressed. Transparency and accountability regarding political finance is pivotal in the fight against corruption, for the integrity of democratic processes, and for the strength of our democratic alliances. When financial contributions to political parties, electoral campaigns, or candidates are opaque and unaccountable, this enables clientelism, fuels corruption risk, increases the cost of political participation, and destroys trust in governments.
On an international level, Britain has high electoral finance standards with regards to transparency and can argue these points with credibility. Additionally, the issue complements ongoing work from the Defending Democracy Taskforce as it seeks to protect UK political parties and core electoral infrastructure.
We therefore encourage the UK to show leadership to enhance political finance transparency as part of the UNCAC framework and endorse efforts to strengthen Article 7.3 of the Convention by introducing provisions in new resolutions that effectively address the following 5 areas:
Close Loopholes for Illicit Funds in Politics. Corruption can enter politics through various channels, including illicit funds and opaque donations routed through shell companies, third parties or anonymous donors.
Introduce Digital Reporting and Disclosure Systems. States Parties should develop mechanisms for the timely and comprehensive public disclosure of political contributions, expenditures, and campaign financing.
Improving Oversight and Accountability of Political Finance Regimes. We encourage States Parties to establish and strengthen independent oversight bodies with adequate powers to monitor, investigate, and enforce compliance with political finance regulations.
Promoting Knowledge, Civic Engagement and Public Participation. States Parties should actively engage civil society, encourage public participation in political finance oversight and protect the rights of whistleblowers who expose corruption within the political finance system.
Strengthening International Cooperation. States Parties should commit to sharing information, best practices and resources to ensure the global fight against corruption is coordinated and unified. Cross-border corruption schemes should be met with a coordinated international response, and efforts should be made to recover and repatriate assets stolen through corrupt practices.
Your delegation may also highlight the importance of political finance transparency in your official speeches and discussions. This advocacy will elevate the issue's prominence and encourage collective action among all States parties.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Rachel Davies
Co-Chair of UK Anti-Corruption Coalition
Advocacy Director, Transparency International UK
Thom Townsend
Co-Chair of UK Anti-Corruption Coalition
Executive Director, Open Ownership