PURPOSE: The United Nations General Assembly designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and of highlight the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it. The United Nations Convention against Corruption entered into force in December 2005. Everyone around the world are Invited to join forces to fight this crime. Major political changes occasionally present opportunities for ambitious reforms and rapid improvements in the fight against corruption. But in most cases, progress is likely to be gradual. Success requires political will, perseverance, and a commitment to continuously upgrade institutions over many years. To better understand the institutional characteristics that are important in promoting integrity and accountability, we studied a large set of countries. The observance seeks to highlight the crucial link between anti-corruption and peace, security, and development. At its core is the notion that tackling this crime is the right and responsibility of everyone, and that only through cooperation and the involvement of each and every person and institution can we overcome the negative impact of this crime.
FORUM: "Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity.'' International Anti-Corruption Day 2025. The theme will underscore the vital role of young people in driving change, promoting transparency and building a future rooted in integrity. Young people have dreams and aspirations, but corruption erodes the fabric of society, stifles progress and deprives them of educational opportunities, job prospects, engagement in public life, success in sports and access to healthcare and other essential services. Additionally, it contributes to environmental degradation and climate destruction. Our world confronts numerous challenges, tragedies, inequalities and injustices, many of which are tied to corruption. With 1.9 billion young people in the world, fighting corruption is vital for the future of nearly a quarter of the global population. While young people are significantly affected by corruption, they also have the potential to become powerful agents of change in the fight for a future rooted in integrity. Young people must demand accountability and actively participate in anti-corruption efforts. To effectively promote a culture of integrity across the public and private sectors and build a generation that stands up to corruption, education is key. It teaches values of transparency, accountability and integrity from an early age. By promoting integrity and ethical behaviour within their social circles and challenging small-scale corruption at the community level, young people can drive meaningful change. Additionally, they can develop innovative solutions to address corruption on a global scale. Tech-savvy youth can leverage technologies such as blockchain, AI, online platforms, social media and innovative apps to enhance transparency, increase access to information and create tools that facilitate anonymous reporting of corrupt practices. We must actively listen to young people, as their ideas today may hold the key to the best solutions for combating corruption and strengthening integrity tomorrow. Young integrity leaders play a vital role in advocating for dismantling institutional structures that enable corruption, pushing for greater transparency and accountability. Through active participation and reforms, they help create corruption-resilient institutions that reject unethical behaviour. Addressing corruption leads to a fairer, more transparent society where young individuals have equal opportunities to achieve their dreams. This effort builds trust in institutions and inspires the next generation to actively contribute to creating a better future. Young people have a clear vision and innovative ideas for a future free from corruption. We must give them a seat at the table, listen to their voices, and involve them in the process. By empowering youth to actively engage and help lead future anti-corruption efforts, we can create lasting change. Building a just world and a sustainable planet is only possible if corruption doesn’t stand in the way. United, we can combat corruption. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #9December, #UnitedAgainstCorruption, #IACD2025 .
EVENT: At the United Nations Headquarters in New York; On December 9th, the UNODC Corruption and Economic Crime Branch and UNDP Global Anti-Corruption Programme will held a high-level event to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day 2025 entitled "Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity.'' . The objective of this event is to bring together youth representatives, Member States and UN officials to explore how to empower young people to contribute to preventing and fighting corruption.
From 2 to 4 December 2025, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) are convening the Second Global Anti-corruption Conference on Harnessing Data to Improve Corruption Measurement. Measuring corruption is essential for understanding its causes, consequences, and trends, as well as for designing and evaluating effective responses. By developing reliable and comparable indicators and data, we can enhance transparency, accountability, and evidence-based policymaking in the fight against corruption. Through interactive plenaries, technical panels, and expert roundtables, the Conference will explore topics such as the operationalization of the Vienna Principles, the launch of the Global Anti-Corruption Digital Dashboard, and the metadata of the Statistical Framework to measure corruption. Sessions will also cover user-centred approaches, digital innovations, and emerging methods for collecting, analyzing, and using data to prevent and combat corruption.
It will be divided into three segments:
Day 1: Taking Stock.
Day 2: Innovation, Emerging Methodologies and Multi-Stakeholder Approaches.
Day 3: Looking Ahead: The Future of Corruption Measurement
Session 8: Fueling anti-corruption strategies: building sound statistics for next-generation corruption analytics.
Session 9: Measuring effectiveness of anti-corruption measures, including using review mechanism.
In Teheran; Iran; This year's campaign, Zero Corruption - 100% Development, reinforces the idea that development can thrive only when societies tackle the root causes of corruption. The joint UNODC and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) campaign focuses on the corrosive effects of corruption on development. "Corruption is a barrier to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and needs to be taken into account in defining and implementing a robust post-2015 development agenda", said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message to mark the International Day. The campaign aims to bring together people from all walks of life in the fight against corruption, serving as a global call for action and raising awareness about the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Taking back what is lost to corrupt groups is everyone's responsibility; the International Day is observed the world over by governments, civil society organizations, the private sector, the media, and the general public. The International Anti-Corruption Day was celebrated in Iran jointly by UNODC and a group of non-governmental organizations. The Iranian Vice President for Executive Affairs, H.E. Mr. M. Shariatmadari, joined the event and delivered a speech on the fight against corruption, where the need to tackle economic crime and acts of corruption by the government was highlighted. The UNODC Representative in Iran briefed the participants in the Tehran event on UNODC's role as the custodian of UNCAC and provided further information on the Country Office mandates. He praised the national efforts in this area and expressed UNODC's eagerness to expand areas of cooperation. He also read the message of the UNODC Executive Director, Mr. Yury Fedotov, on the occasion and the translation of the message in Farsi was distributed among the invitees. In his message, Mr. Fedotov stated that the International Anti-Corruption Day is a suitable day to celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of the UNCAC. He emphasized that "Corruption is not simply a developed or developing nation's problem, it is the challenge of every person, and every nation", adding that we need a powerful platform to help reject corruption in all its many forms.
In Doha, Qatar, From 15 to 19 December 2025 will be held the Eleventh session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption.
WRITING COMPETITION : In July 2025, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched an international essay writing competition through its Global Resource for Anti-Corruption Education and Youth Empowerment (GRACE) initiative. The competition invited young people from around the world to share how corruption impacts their lives, families, and communities, as well as how civil society in their countries or communities works to prevent and combat corruption. After reviewing a total of 1,331 essay submissions from more than 100 countries, the GRACE initiative selected 26 winners, representing 21 countries across all regions of the world. Learn more!
PUBLICATION: Corruption Perceptions Index by Country 2025. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released by Transparency International in February 2025, reflects perceptions of public sector corruption for the period ending April 2024, showing Denmark, Finland, and Singapore as least corrupt; South Sudan, Somalia, and Venezuela as most corrupt; the global average at 43/100; and the U.S. scoring 65, a drop of 4 points from the prior year. While some nations improve, many struggle, with the index highlighting regional challenges like conflict and weak rule of law.
STATEMENTS: Read the Statement from the UNDP Administrator on International Anti-Corruption Day 2025; December 9th and the Statement from the UNODC Executive Director on International Anti-corruption Day 2025; December 9th.
PODCASTS: To support States parties' efforts to fully implement the Convention, UNODC delivers technical assistance in various corruption-related thematic areas, such as prevention, education, asset recovery, integrity in the criminal justice system, etc. Listen to the audio-podcasts!
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: Ensure that thee UNCAC mechanism continues to be strengthen in the years ahead. The campaign for International Anti-Corruption Day 2024-2025 focuses on the role young guardians of integrity play as advocates, raising awareness about corruption and its impacts on their communities. They will actively participate in discussions, share their experiences and propose innovative solutions to combat corruption. The campaign will amplify voices of integrity leaders of tomorrow, allowing them to express their concerns and aspirations, with the hope that their appeals will be heard and acted upon. The IACD 2024 campaign branding, poster and all campaign assets are available on Trello. Get the communication materials!
HOW TO CELEBRATE THE DAY?
HOW TO GET INVOLVED!
PARTNERSHIPS
On October 31st, 2003, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption and requested that the United Nations Secretary-General designate the UNODC as secretariat for the Convention’s Conference of States Parties (resolution 58/4). The Convention entered into force in December 2005. Corruption affects all areas of society. Preventing corruption unlocks progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, helps protect our planet, creates jobs, achieves gender equality, and secures wider access to essential services such as healthcare and education While it is everyone’s right to benefit from strong anti-corruption efforts, misconduct and wrongdoing is stealing away valuable resources at a time when they are most needed. The International Anti-Corruption Day observed every year on December 9th seeks to highlight the rights and responsibilities of everyone - including States, Government officials, civil servants, law enforcement officers, media representatives, the private sector, civil society, academia, the public and youth - in tackling corruption.
Raise awareness about the role that both individuals and society play, in combating corruption and promoting transparency.
Speak up and say no to corruption.
Join the .UNODC Anti-Corruption eLearning Course.
Prevent organised crime, corruption and terrorism.
Help authorities go after the money of criminals dealing in illegal drugs, human trafficking and other crimes.
Be aware of the role you play and responsibilities you have in the fight against corruption.
Takle this global problem with shared responsibility.
Prevent and counter corruption, in order to promote resilience and integrity at all levels of society.
Put in place effective whistle-blower protection to ensure that persons who speak up are protected from retaliation.
Help effective, accountable and transparent institutions to move towards a culture of integrity and fairness.
The International Anti-corruption Day is co-organized by the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
With the collaboration of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions, the Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (GlobE Network),
With the participation of Governments, the Civil Society Organizations, International organizations and intergovernmental bodies, the Public and Private sectors, Non-Governmental Organizations, Economists, Researchers, Academics, the media and citizens around the world
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“Let us revive hope and restore trust in institutions…now is the time to act for a safer, more prosperous and just future”.