UNCAC review status tracker
Situation
Those who are harmed most by corruption, often the poorest in affected countries, rarely receive any compensation or direct benefit from successful enforcement actions. Victims’ situations and experiences in countries are different, where some still struggle to claim reparation particularly for collective damages, while in other countries mechanisms are being implemented to support effective remedies for collective damage.
The UNCAC Coalition (Association for the Implementation of the UN Convention Against Corruption), requested support for research on corruption damage reparation and legal standing, showing if and how victims of corruption are recognised and/or remedied around the world.
The initiative arose from requests from partner members and other stakeholders of the Coalition for information on legal avenues, actual cases and best practice examples to ensure victims of corruption receive reparations, which is in line with the Coalition’s strategy to increase and support reparation for collective damages across the world.
ILP’s Action
ILP and partners supported this legal research demonstrating possible obstacles for victims seeking reparations, which is envisaged to translate to constructive policy recommendations to be taken by the United Nations.
This legal research is now an International Database on Corruption Damage Reparation and Legal Standing for Victims of Corruption. ILP partners covered 19 jurisdictions in 5 continents
Impact
The collected examples and findings are being used to advance discussions, inform national and global advocacy efforts, and support evidence-based advocacy for the scaling up of good practices for providing reparations to victims of corruption.