The fight against corruption and the promotion of human rights are often treated as separate agendas. Yet, in practice, they are deeply intertwined. Corruption undermines the rule of law, weakens institutions, and erodes public trust. It denies individuals access to justice, health care, education, and other fundamental rights.

Using a human rights lens to understand the consequences of corruption, in turn, exposes the real and often devastating impact on people’s lives, especially those most vulnerable to abuse of power. Approaching anti-corruption through human rights not only strengthens prevention and accountability but also ensures that efforts remain people-centred.

Integrating human rights into the anti-corruption agenda is a practical, feasible pathway to strengthen accountability, address impunity, and protect those most at risk.

The legal foundation for integrating human rights into anti-corruption

There is a strong legal basis for linking anti-corruption and human rights. The UN Charter places human rights at the core of the UN system, making them an essential principle guiding all UN activities.The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties reinforces this through the principle of systemic integration, which requires that treaties be interpreted in harmony with other relevant rules of international law.

The UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) itself recognises this connection. Its preamble and several of its provisions echo the values of human dignity, transparency, and justice. Together, these instruments affirm that anti-corruption obligations cannot be interpreted in isolation from States’ existing human rights commitments.

Viewing the UNCAC through a human rights lens helps bridge the gap between law and lived experience. It reminds policymakers that effective anti-corruption measures must respect freedom of expression and association, promote access to information, protect civic participation, and provide access to remedies for those harmed by corruption.

Why CoSP11 matters

CoSP11 provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen coherence across the UN system on human rights and anti-corruption. Fostering collaboration among countries, institutions, and actors with a shared purpose is central to this effort. Human rights mechanisms, anti-corruption bodies, and development actors all contribute to the same goal: fair, transparent, and accountable governance.

Promoting synergies and cross-referencing

Future CoSP11 resolutions could advance meaningful progress by explicitly linking anti-corruption and human rights commitments. This can be done by drawing on agreed language from Human Rights Council (HRC) and General Assembly resolutions. Below are examples of how these connections can be strengthened.

1. Reaffirming States’ responsibility to uphold human rights and dignity in anti-corruption efforts

CoSP resolutions such as the Follow-up to the Marrakech Declaration on the prevention of corruption, or the Doha Declaration on AI and corruption could reaffirm States’ duty to promote and protect human rights and uphold human dignity in all anti-corruption efforts – by building on the following language of the Kyoto Declaration (A/RES/76/181, 2021):

2. Stressing the importance of UN policy coherence

To ensure coordinated and effective implementation, CoSP11 resolutions could recall and draw on HRC Resolution on the negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights (A/HRC/RES/59/6), which:

3. Recognising the role of existing human rights obligations in strengthening anti-corruption efforts

As per resolution A/HRC/RES/59/6, CoSP resolutions could also reinforce the link between good governance and human rights by:

4. Promoting institutional cooperation at the national level

Finally, as per resolution A/HRC/RES/59/6, CoSP11 resolutions could encourage collaboration between national anti-corruption authorities and national human rights institutions. Joint strategies, information exchange, and coordinated action can improve both prevention and enforcement:

Enhancing the institutional environment

To make the convergence of human rights and anti-corruption agendas feasible, countries need to strengthen the institutional environment, not only in legislation but also in practice. This involves promoting meaningful participation of civil society and vulnerable groups, enhancing access to information, and recognising victims of corruption.

Civil society participation is essential for combating corruption and holding governments accountable. Yet, civil society often faces significant limitations and risks in carrying out anti-corruption work, including harassment, threats, legal barriers, insufficient funding, and limited access to decision-making processes. Furthermore, corruption affects different groups unequally, with women, girls, and marginalised communities experiencing its impacts most severely, including sexual exploitation and abuse of authority. Meaningful participation requires strong legal and administrative safeguards to ensure that civil society actors can operate without undue government interference or fear of reprisals, as well as structured consultation mechanisms, effective access to information, and early warning systems to protect those who speak out.

Transparency and access to information are also essential for fostering accountability. Citizens, civil society organisations, whistleblowers, and the media need reliable access to government information to spot corruption risks, track public spending, and hold those in power to account. Robust legal and institutional frameworks should ensure digital access to anti-corruption and governance data, including through open data platforms. Proactive disclosure, independent oversight, and safeguards against obstruction are crucial, and information should, whenever possible, be easily accessible and presented in reusable formats.

Last but not least, it is important to recognise victims of corruption, who are often invisible in legal processes, leaving them without recourse. A victim-centred approach ensures individuals affected by corruption can access justice, participate in proceedings, and receive restitution. States should align their practices with the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, which provides a framework for fair treatment, access to remedies, and protection from retaliation. Oversight mechanisms should trace the damage caused by corruption and help enforce UNCAC Article 35, ensuring stolen resources are returned to society.

A human rights-based approach makes anti-corruption more sustainable, legitimate, and effective. It places people, not processes, at the centre of governance. Human rights and anti-corruption are not parallel paths. They are two sides of the same effort to build societies grounded in justice, dignity, and trust.