UN Anti-Corruption Conference, the world’s largest anti-corruption gathering, has concluded in Doha with the adoption of the ‘Doha Declaration 2025: strengthening international cooperation and technical assistance and seizing the opportunities provided by artificial intelligence systems in preventing and combating corruption.’
According to the statement, the UN Anti-Corruption Conference delivered a powerful message: shaping the integrity of tomorrow demands the responsible use of technology and a stronger commitment to international cooperation.
As corruption and financial crimes become increasingly sophisticated, law enforcement and justice systems need to keep pace with these evolving threats. The ’Doha Declaration 2025’ calls on States to leverage digital technologies, including AI, to strengthen international law enforcement cooperation in cross-border corruption and to improve accuracy, efficiency, and objectivity of national efforts to measure corruption risks.
As per the statement, it encourages the use of technologies developed by expert networks, including through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (GlobE Network), to enable the secure and rapid exchange of information. Timely information sharing is critical in corruption cases, where delays can undermine investigations and jeopardize outcomes.
The Acting Executive Director of UNODC, John Brandolino, said that, “The new Doha Declaration, focusing on artificial intelligence, is an important recognition of this technology’s impact, and a meaningful step on the way to fully realizing its potential in preventing and combating corruption.”
The UN Anti-Corruption Conference was addressed by the UNODC YouthLED Integrity Advisory Board, calling for meaningful inclusion of young people in anti-corruption frameworks and strong follow-up action to the commitments made at the Conference.
UN Anti-Corruption Conference adopts 11 resolutions
Eleven resolutions have been adopted by the UN Anti-Corruption Conference on a wide range of topics, underscoring the complexity of challenges facing the world today.
The resolutions at UN Anti-Corruption Conference focus on a range of critical issues, including improving transparency in the funding of political parties, electoral campaigns, and candidates for public office. They also emphasize strengthening the integrity of children and young people through education, addressing the role of corruption in facilitating crimes such as migrant smuggling and environmental offenses, and securing the future of the United Nations Convention against Corruption’s peer-review mechanism, among other important topics.
The adoption of a resolution on the next phase of the review mechanism underscores that the effective implementation of the Convention requires review processes that are efficient, effective, and fit for purpose, while also building on experience and results generated by the Implementation Review Mechanism to date.
