Civil society’s role in helping to fight corruption has been widely recognised and included in many international anti-corruption conventions. In the UNCAC, Articles, 5, 13 and 63 (4) (c) explicitly acknowledge a role for civil society in fighting corruption and within the convention’s work. However, in practice, civil society has not enjoyed as much access to the UNCAC and its processes as it might have liked.

Competition for resources, a perceived lack of expertise, a lack of public knowledge and interest in the UNCAC, as well as poor time management on the part of some states has hindered the ability of civil society to be fully involved in the UNCAC.