Transparency International (TI) and a broad civil society anti-corruption coalition have labelled as a major setback the failure of the international corruption conference on Bali to agree on how to independently assess country progress in implementing the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Disagreement at the conference meant that concrete steps will only be decided at the next Conference on the Convention in late 2009, six years after the instrument was adopted.

Despite a week of negotiations, the outcome in Bali failed to meet the promise of the first conference in Jordan, which recognized a review mechanism as being of ?paramount importance' and the need as ?urgent'. It is therefore essential that there be an ongoing program of engagement and planning by the UN and governments in the two years until the next conference, so that no further opportunity is missed.

For more details please see the Web site of Transparency International, the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption