A session held yesterday, as part of the eleventh session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, discussed the topic of activating the links between combating corruption and human rights, with the participation of many international experts and officials.
The session focused on the fact that corruption was no longer viewed merely as a governance issue, but has become a direct violation of human rights, due to its negative impact on access to basic services and the enjoyment of rights and freedoms.
Speakers pointed out that the political Atlanta Declaration acknowledged the harmful impact of corruption on human rights, particularly its disproportionate effects on women, girls, and marginalised groups.
They emphasised that the current global landscape, marked by increasing conflicts, widening inequality gaps, shrinking civic space, and environmental crises, makes it imperative to address corruption as a fundamentally human rights-based issue. They said that despite growing global awareness of the importance of linking the anti-corruption and human rights agendas, fragmented approaches remain prevalent, limiting the effectiveness of efforts in both fields.
They noted that civil society organisations, governments, and international institutions continue to face challenges in strengthening this integration due to the absence of coordinated strategies, a lack of practical tools, and insufficient, clear, actionable guidance.
Participants stressed the importance of moving from theoretical frameworks to practical application by adopting a comprehensive approach that helps activate the links between combating corruption and protecting human rights, and by reviewing concrete experiences and steps taken in this regard.
Speakers affirmed that strengthening the connection between anti-corruption efforts and human rights can help countries enhance resilience, improve service delivery, protect civic space, promote integrity, and build public trust. They noted that today’s discussions represent an important step toward translating this linkage into practical, implementable actions.
They also highlighted the importance of creating complementarities and synergies between the anti-corruption and human rights tracks in order to advance both issues in parallel, expressing hope that more States Parties would begin conveying the same messages in relevant forums, thereby strengthening the ability of both tracks to support one another.
It was noted that, before the panel discussion, participants were asked about the extent to which a human rights perspective is integrated into anti-corruption policies and strategies. The responses showed that only a limited number of participants are currently working to link the two areas in an integrated manner.
Participants expressed hope that the coming years would witness tangible progress along this path, such that responses to the same question in the future would yield different results, underscoring the importance of sustaining dialogue and expanding participation.
At the conclusion of the session, the need to strengthen international co-operation and exchange expertise was emphasised in order to build effective policies that translate this linkage into practice and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.