Government officials and civil society groups came to Vienna for the 13th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC COP13) to decide how to strengthen the world’s main treaty against organized crime.
In a plenary statement to delegates, Jeana Lee, Program Manager at the National Whistleblower Center (NWC), pointed to a set of tools she said countries already have available but are not using as part of their strategy to tackle transnational crime. These are laws that reward and protect whistleblowers.
About COP13
The UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime is the world’s only global, legally binding instrument for combating transnational organized crime. Its 13th Conference of the Parties met October 19–23, 2026, at the headquarters of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna. By the close of the meeting, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin reported more than 2,100 participants from 142 countries, representatives of 320 NGOs, and 115 side events.
Whistleblowers are the key to detection
Lee opened with a direct claim: transnational whistleblower laws are highly effective, economically rational, and rely on democratic principles. They give whistleblowers both incentives and protection, which are key to detecting and deterring crime around the world.
Lee said that tips from whistleblowers are the leading source for uncovering wrongdoing, ahead of government investigations and internal audits. Insiders are in a strong position to discover and accurately report crime, she said, but only if they have compensation and guaranteed protections that make whistleblowing worth taking the risk.
What the U.S. experience shows
Lee said U.S. transnational whistleblower laws have allowed the United States to act as the police force of the world.
Since the U.S. established reward programs, she said, there has been a major deterrent effect and agencies have recovered billions of dollars. She cited more than $25 billion recovered under the Dodd-Frank Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act combined, and more than $14 billion passed on to international law enforcement agencies to strengthen their own prosecutions.
For context, the SEC, which runs the Dodd-Frank program, reports that whistleblower tips have led to more than $6 billion in financial remedies, with awards of 10% to 30% of the money collected. The agency also says it continues to receive tips from all over the world, with Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and China as the most common sources outside the U.S.
Lee pointed out that the laws protect whistleblowers regardless of nationality, even for people who live in a country with no whistleblower protections of its own.
She also tied the laws to values. They rely on the democratic principle of free speech, she said, and they encourage the moral duty to speak out against wrongdoing.
So why aren’t more countries us
Lee’s answer was that most countries simply do not know these laws exist, much less how to use or create their own. She also raised a question for the United Nations itself.
While NWC commends UNODC for working with countries to establish new whistleblower policies and frameworks, she said, it has yet to recognize the importance of incentives – especially in a world that has relied on the United States as the international police force against crime and corruption.
This is a critical point worth noting as the UN has addressed whistleblower protection through Article 33 of the UN Convention against Corruption, and in December 2023 states parties to that convention adopted the first-ever resolution on the protection of reporting persons.
NWC’s position, as Lee described it, is that rewards deserve attention along with protection.
An opening for other countries
Lee described the reduced U.S. role as a crucial opportunity for other countries to take on more responsibility for prosecuting transnational crime and stated that NWC has been encouraged by the momentum from other countries. She gave two examples:
- United Kingdom. The UK’s tax authority launched its Strengthened Reward Scheme in November 2025, offering 15% to 30% of the tax collected in qualifying cases.
- South Korea. In July 2026, the country’s Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced amendments to set whistleblower rewards at 30% of recovered funds and remove its payout cap.
These programs should not be limited to developed nations, Lee added. NWC is working on strategies for how best-practice whistleblower laws can be used in both developed and developing countries.
The ask: start with education
Lee’s closing request was practical. The first step, she said, is education.
She urged states parties and civil society groups to engage with these laws and take them into account as they work together under the COP to address transnational crime.
If you’d like to get involved or learn how to utilize U.S laws, contact the National Whistleblower Center. Receive more news and stories like by subscribing to our newsletter and consider donating to help support whistleblowers all over the world.
