UNCAC-Country Review
The state of implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is evaluated by the States parties through a peer-review process. In order to facilitate implementation, the results of the review process are summarised in a country review report, which includes a set of non-binding recommendations.
Since June 2019, Austria has been participating in the second UNCAC review cycle. The second cycle covers the implementation of UNCAC chapters II (Preventive measures) and V (Asset recovery). As a first step, Austria submitted in late 2019 its answers to the self-assessment checklist and to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Subsequently, representatives of the reviewing States (for Austria: Germany and Vietnam) have examined the Austrian self-assessment and conducted a so-called “desk review”. This was followed by a country visit, which took place from 8th to 10th March 2022, due to the Covid-19 pandemic in a virtual format. During this visit experts from the two reviewing States, together with UNODC, directly engaged with the relevant Austrian authorities and civil society and assessed the implementation of the two UNCAC chapters. As a next and final step, the results of Austria’s review will be made available (in form of a final review report).
The Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs coordinates Austria’s review; it is thereby supported by the Ministry of the Interior/Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption and the Federal Ministry for Justice. The Permanent Mission of Austria to the UN in Vienna (ovwien(at)bmeia.gv.at) and the Department I.5 of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (AbtI5(at)bmeia.gv.at) jointly serve as Austrian focal point for the review.