United Nations Convention against Corruption
The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is a fundamental document for Ukraine, enabling Ukraine to work at global level to prevent corruption and, as a result, overcome obstacles to development, as well as defining the direction of reforms necessary for transparent reconstruction and accession to the European Union.
Ukraine signed the Convention on 31 October 2003, and ratified it on 18 October 2006 (it entered into force for Ukraine on 1 January 2010). With 191 states parties, UNCAC is the only universal, legally binding international agreement in the anti-corruption field.
Content and Areas of Implementation in Ukraine
The UNCAC imposes obligations on the States Parties in the following areas of implementation:
- Preventive measures: development and monitoring of anti-corruption policy, assessment of corruption risks, operation of the e-declaration system and verification of declarations, lifestyle monitoring of public officials’, anti-corruption expertise of legislation, educational activities / raising public awareness (under the responsibility of the NACP).
- Criminalization and law enforcement: activities of independent investigative and judicial bodies (NABU, SAPO, and HACCU).
- International cooperation: interaction with foreign jurisdictions for the extradition of offenders and the collection of evidence (Ministry of Justice, Office of the Prosecutor General).
- Asset recovery: identification and confiscation of assets obtained through criminal means (under the responsibility of ARMA and law enforcement agencies in cooperation with international partners).
- Technical assistance and information exchange: constant exchange of experience, staff training, and implementation of joint projects with international partners and organizations (UNODC, NORAD, EUACI, OSCE, CoE, OECD, IMF, EU, USA, UK, Switzerland, etc.).
Peer Review Mechanism
In 2009, a peer review mechanism was established to assess each State Party’s implementation of its obligations. States undergo reviews in five-year cycles covering two chapters and subject areas of the UNCAC. Two State Parties are randomly selected to assess another State Party.
The review process is primarily based on a self-assessment checklist. The state under review may engage in direct dialogue with the reviewing states and amend, adjust, correct and add information to the self-assessment. The State under review is responsible for finalising the draft country report prepared during this process. An executive summary of each final report is published, while other documents may be published on a voluntary basis.
An Implementation Review Group (IRG) was established to improve and assist with the review process. It serves as a forum where states parties can share experiences and evaluate country reports.
During the 11-th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UNCAC, held in Doha, Qatar, from 15 to 19 December 2025, a resolution titled “Second Phase of the Implementation Review Mechanism for the United Nations Convention against Corruption” was adopted.
The resolution provides for the continuation and improvement of the process of peer review of States’ implementation of the Convention’s provisions, in particular Chapters II “Preventive Measures” and V “Asset Recovery,” with an emphasis on enhancing transparency, inclusivity, and stakeholder engagement.
The realisation of the second phase of the Mechanism aims to enhance the effectiveness of international cooperation, exchange best practices, and support states in fulfilling their international anti-corruption obligations.
At CoSP11, the delegation of the European Union and its member states expressed support for maintaining and strengthening the Mechanism for the Review of the Implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption in its second phase and called for increased transparency, consistent monitoring of review results, and active civil society participation. The Ukrainian delegation also endorsed this position.
Review of Ukraine
In the first review cycle, Slovenia and Poland reviewed Ukraine’s compliance with Chapter III “Criminalization and Law Enforcement” and Chapter IV “International Cooperation”.
In the second cycle, Latvia and Paraguay will review Ukraine’s compliance with Chapter II “Preventive Measures” and Chapter V “Asset Recovery”.
As of May 2026, the second cycle is ongoing: the NACP is finalizing the draft self-assessment checklist on the status of implementation for the second cycle under Chapter II of the UNCAC, and work on Chapter V of the UNCAC is continuing. After the document is agreed upon with government experts and state authorities and its translation is ensured, the report will be submitted to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
As part of the second cycle of the IRM, Ukraine is not only a country undergoing a review of the status of UNCAC implementation but also a country conducting reviews of other countries.
In May 2025, the NACP provided an updated list of representatives from among current government experts who will conduct the review of the Republic of Moldova’s implementation of Chapters II and V of the UNCAC to the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna for subsequent transmission to the Secretariat of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
In August 2025, the UNODC provided the Ukrainian government experts with a comprehensive checklist of responses (self-assessment report) from the Republic of Moldova for the purpose of conducting an assessment under the IRM mechanism.
In cooperation with government experts from the Ministry of Justice and the General Prosecutor’s Office, a desk review was conducted, involving an initial analysis of Moldova’s responses, focusing on the legislative and practical measures taken by the country under review to implement the Convention, and was submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in November 2025.
Next steps: The UNODC Secretariat informed Ukraine’s government experts of a country visit to be conducted in Chisinau (Republic of Moldova) as part of the second cycle of the Mechanism for the Review of the Implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption (hereinafter referred to as the Review Mechanism, the Convention).
The visit is scheduled for 5–7 May 2026.
The International Cooperation Department of the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NACP) is responsible for coordinating the UNCAC review process on behalf of Ukraine. Ukraine’s focal point in this process is Svitlana Pylypets, Head of the NACP’s International Cooperation Department and Government Expert on the UN Convention against Corruption.
In December 2025, the NACP joined the Transparency Pledge to ensure transparency and public participation in the implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention against Corruption. Thus, the Agency commits to adhering to the six transparency principles of the UNCAC review to promote civil society participation.
Ukraine’s profile in the UNCAC includes a summary for the first review cycle and a Report on the Review of the Implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption in Ukraine.
