Open Letter to delegates at the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption

Distinguished Delegates to the 11^th Conference of the States Parties to United Nations Convention against Corruption (Doha, 15 to 19 December 2025):  

Commit to integrity in the funding of political parties and candidates

We, the undersigned domestic and regional networks of election monitoring organisations, democracy and anticorruption civil society and international organisations from across the globe, express our commitment to the precepts of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, reflecting a nearly universal consensus on fostering integrity in public life. 

As you meet to take stock of the Convention’s implementation in Doha next week, we encourage you to build upon the steps taken domestically and adopt a strong resolution to enhance transparency in political funding to prevent corruption in politics and promote accountability to citizens.

Money is essential to healthy politics when flows are transparent to voters and have no conditions attached. Political funding that is opaque and unchecked can enable different forms of corruption, from concealing the political influence of criminal or illicit interests and rigging procurement processes to reward loyal donors, to entrenching kleptocratic regimes that rely on state funds to maintain their hold on power. Unchecked political funding can drive up the costs of participating in politics – let alone standing a chance of winning office – turning it into an exclusive club. Lack of effective controls on money also leaves election outcomes vulnerable to external interference, significantly increasing the risk of corruption in politics. 

Countries with transparent political funding, a commitment enshrined in Article 7, paragraph 3 of the Convention, perform better at controlling corruption and delivering on the common good. Implementation is lagging though. Reports on the Convention’s Implementation Review Mechanism, independent surveys on the publication of campaign donation information online and assessments of the integrity of campaign finance safeguards in the electoral cycle, show more can, and needs to be done to increase transparency. However, there is a lack of international commitments that governments can be held accountable to.

We ask you to be ambitious and support the draft Resolution tabled by Albania, Ghana, Mongolia and Norway to close gaps in the implementation of the Convention, as follows:

1. Publish political finance reports online

Transparency is the cornerstone of democracy and integrity. CoSP11 should encourage political parties and candidates to report on their income and expenditure, and proactively publish this information online, free of charge, as nearly in real time as possible, and in open, machine-readable formats the public can understand and use. Publication must identify donors in the pre-election period, to reduce risks of donations that can result in conflicts of interest such as donations from government contractors.  

2. Close loopholes to illicit financial flows in politics

CoSP11 should promote the use of banking systems to manage funds, the disclosure of beneficial ownership of corporate donors and ban shell companies and straw donors from making donations. It should also ensure the transparency of third-party expenditures in election campaigns and other relevant anti-money laundering protections to stop illicit funds, domestic or foreign, from being used to curry favour or exert undue influence. 

3. Invest in oversight

States Parties must promote accountability for political finance by equipping oversight bodies with strong mandates and adequate funding to provide guidance to political parties and candidates on their integrity obligations; monitor and enforce compliance with political finance regulations; establish safe and confidential channels for reporting irregularities, and collaborate with other agencies to investigate and sanction violations. 

4. Engage society 

An informed and engaged public is a bulwark of integrity in political finance. Indeed, civic groups and journalists are often critical partners for governments in innovating to track and address new tactics of undue financial influence, such as the increasing use of cryptocurrency to move funds to straw donors and disingenuous third-party influence online. The resolution must encourage access to political finance data for civic groups and protections from harassment or reprisals when those groups report on abuses. Likewise, it must encourage collaboration among private sector, the media, and election observation groups with election commissions, anticorruption watchdogs, and law enforcement. We pledge to collaborate with governments and with each other in keeping political and campaign financing free from undue influence. 

5. Reduce the costs of doing politics

The excessive costs of campaigning create structural barriers to entry, especially for women and young politicians. When contesting elections gets expensive, there is an incentive for resorting to illicit sources of funding. States parties should adopt measures such as clearly defined campaign periods and expenses, equitable allocation of public political financing, and affordable nomination fees, including fees charged for political party primaries, to ensure that running for office is not prohibitively expensive and remains open to diverse candidates.

6. Prevent abuse of state resources in elections

The misuse of public resources for partisan advantage is a widespread corruption offence covered by Articles 17 and 19 of the Convention. It greatly undermines electoral integrity. Governments must enforce strong safeguards and sanctions against the manipulation of public monies, officials, infrastructure, and laws to influence electoral outcomes.

7. Commit to the effective implementation of the Resolution

A strong resolution is a starting point. We call on States Parties to actively advance the implementation of the resolution at the international and national levels, while involving the public, civic groups and other relevant stakeholders in the electoral process. We commit to supporting this follow-up and monitoring progress in our own work.

Improving transparency and strengthening governance in political finance is essential to reducing the incentives and opportunities for corruption in politics.  

The fight against corruption and the preservation of democratic values are interlinked. It is imperative that we adapt to the evolving challenges of corruption in the twenty-first century. Adopting a strong resolution on political finance can be a significant step towards a more transparent, accountable, and equitable political landscape. The UNCAC embodies a global commitment to these ideals. We call on all States Parties to work collaboratively to address these issues, both domestically and internationally, in a spirit of shared responsibility. 

Thank you for your attention and commitment to this vital cause.

Co-drafters

1. African Election Observers Network (AfEONet)

2. Alliance for Finance Monitoring (ACFIM)

3. Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL)

4. European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE)

5. Global Civil Society Coalition for the UNCAC (formerly: UNCAC Coalition) 

6. Inter-American Network for Election Observation (RedOIE)

7. International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) 

8. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) 

9. The Carter Center

10. Transparency International    

11. Westminster Foundation for Democracy

Endorsers

1. Acción Ciudadana (Transparency International Guatemala)

2. Accountability Lab

3. Action Jeunesse pour le Développement 

4. Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG)

5. Africa Freedom of Information Centre 

6. African Center for Governance, Asset Recovery and Sustainable Development

7. African Centre for Media & Information Literacy 

8. AfricTivistes

9. Ágora

10. Albanian Center for Economic Research (ACER)

11. Alliance for Accountability Advocates Zambia (AAAZ)

12. Alliance for Finance Monitoring (ACFIM)

13. Amalna South Sudan

14. Anti-Corruption Academy Foundation

15. Anti-Corruption Data Collective

16. Anti-Fraud Initiative Ghana (AFIG)

17. Asian Cultural Forum on Development (ACFOD)

18. Asociación Acción Ciudadana (El Salvador) 

19. Asociación Civil Transparencia (Perú)

20. Asociación Costa Rica Integra (Transparency International Costa Rica)

21. Association Burundaise des Consommateur (Transparency International Burundi)

22. Association for Democracy in the Maldives (ADM)

23. Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR, India)

24. Association Guinéenne pour la Transparence 

25. Association Nigérienne de Lutte Contre la Corruption (Transparency International Niger)

26. AWTAD Organization for Combating Corruption

27. Bahrain Transparency (Transparency International Bahrain)

28. Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication 

29. Besa Global 

30. Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity 

31. Center Science and Innovation for Development - SCiDEV

32. Centre for Human Rights and Climate Change Research

33. Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI)

34. Centre Stratégique Pour La Promotion Du Développement Durable (CSPDD)

35. Centro de Gobernanza Publica y Corporativa

36. CHESNO Movement

37. Children and Young People Living for Peace (CYPLP)

38. CiFAR - Civil Forum for Asset Recovery e.V.

39. CISE Malawi

40. Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre - CISLAC (Transparency International Nigeria)

41. CLUB Ohada Thiès 

42. COMMUNITY ACTION FOR HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT 

43. Corruption Watch (Transparency International South Africa)

44. CREFDI

45. Democracy Reporting International

46. Democratic Insights Group

47. Eagle Eye Transparency And Integrity Initiative 

48. Earth League International (ELI)

49. Electoral Support Network of Southern Africa

50. Friends of Angola

51. Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo (Transparency International Ecuador)

52. Fundacion Multitudes (Chile)

53. Fundación Nacional para el Desarrollo (Transparency International El Salvador) 

54. Fundeps (Argentina)

55. Good Governance Team Nigeria (GGTNIGERIA)

56. Godiya Women Education and Sustainable Development Initiative

57. Gong (Croatia)

58. Good Governance Africa 

59. GTA Foundation

60. Indonesia Corruption Watch

61. Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS)

62. Institute for Democracy and Mediation 

63. Institute for Democratic Reforms & Electoral Studies (IRES)

64. Institute for Security Studies 

65. Instituto Panamericano de Derecho y Tecnología (IPANDETEC)

66. Jordan Transparency Center 

67. Kosova Democratic Institute (Transparency International Kosovo)

68. Libera - Associazioni, nomi e numeri contro le mafie

69. Liberia CSOs Anti-Corruption Coalition 

70. Ligue Congolaise de lutte contre la Corruption - LICOCO (Transparency International Democratic Republic of the Congo)

71. Maison des Organisations de la Société Civile (MOSC) Anjouan

72. Metamorphosis Foundation for Internet and Society

73. Mexiro A.C

74. Migrant Workers Association of Lesotho 

75. Mongolian Civil Society Coalition for Fair Elections (Open Society Forum, Voter Education Center, Youth Policy Watch, Factcheck.mn, MIDAS, Globe International, National Center for Comprehensive Development)

76. Movimento de Combate à Corrupção Eleitoral (MCCE)

77. National Campaign for Sustainable Development (Nepal)

78. Netherlands Helsinki Committee 

79. Nyika Institute

80. Observatoire Citoyen des Droits et de lutte contre la Corruption en RDC

81. Open Ownership

82. OpenSecrets

83. Pakistan Rural Workers Social Welfare Organization, PRWSWO

84. Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative

85. Participación Ciudadana (Transparency International Dominican Republic)

86. Partnerships for Integrity (P4I)

87. Poder Ciudadano (Transparency International Argentina)

88. Political Parties of Finland for Democracy - Demo Finland

89. Proética (Transparency International Peru)

90. Public-Private Integrity (PPI)

91. Qendra "Durrësi Aktiv"

92. Repatriation Group international

93. Rural Development Organization (Pakistan)

94. SAMUHIK ABHIYAN, Kathmandu

95. Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) 

96. Spotlight on Corruption

97. The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation

98. The Meluibe Empowerment Foundation

99. The Network for Affirmation of NGO Sector - MANS

100. The Vision for Teenagers Adolescents and Youths Wellbeing Initiative

101. Transparencia Mexicana (Transparency International Mexico)

102. Transparencia por Colombia (Transparency International Colombia)

103. Transparency Initiative Seychelles (Transparency International Seychelles)

104. Transparency International Anticorruption Center (Transparency International Armenia)

105. Transparency International Australia

106. Transparency International Austria 

107. Transparency International Bangladesh 

108. Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina 

109. Transparency International Brazil

110. Transparency International Bulgaria

111. Transparency International Cambodia

112. Transparency International Canada

113. Transparency International Denmark 

114. Transparency International Deutschland e.V.

115. Transparency International España

116. Transparency International EU

117. Transparency International France

118. Transparency International Ghana

119. Transparency International Indonesia

120. Transparency International Initiative Madagascar

121. Transparency International Italia

122. Transparency International Kenya

123. Transparency International Lithuania

124. Transparency International Macedonia

125. Transparency International Malaysia

126. Transparency International Moldova

127. Transparency International Nepal

128. Transparency International Netherlands 

129. Transparency International New Zealand

130. Transparency International Norway

131. Transparency International Papua New Guinea 

132. Transparency International Romania

133. Transparency International Slovakia

134. Transparency International Slovenia

135. Transparency International Sri Lanka

136. Transparency International Switzerland

137. Transparency International Taiwan

138. Transparency International Türkiye

139. Transparency International U.S.

140. Transparency International UK

141. Transparency International Zambia

142. Transparency Maldives (Transparency International Maldives)

143. Transparency Maroc (Transparency International Morocco)

144. Transparency Serbia (Transparency International Serbia)

145. Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute (Transparency International Trinidad and Tobago)

146. Voto Joven 

147. Vouliwatch

148. Whistleblowers of America