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As recently discussed, the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) will close out 2025 on an international stage – namely Doha, Qatar from December 14-19 at the 11th Session of the Conference of the State Parties (CoSP11) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

This is a pivotal year, as civil society participation at CoSP11 faces urgent and unprecedented challenges, underscored by a global funding downturn and restrictive trends in civic space that threaten the heart of global anti-corruption efforts.

In this Sunday Read, we discuss how public statements issued in August 2025 by United Nations human rights experts signals both the gravity of the current crisis and a high-level push to defend and expand the involvement of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civic actors in anti-corruption work.

The Impact of U.S. Funding Cuts and Reduced Civic Space at UNCAC Fora

A consequence of the sharp reduction in U.S. foreign aid—most notably through the termination of US Agency for International Development (USAID) funding—is the creation of significant gaps for anti-corruption organizations worldwide. Civic groups that once depended on American support for key activities such as monitoring, advocacy, education, and protecting whistleblowers have had to scale back or halt their operations. Experts and advocates have warned that this contraction leaves anti-corruption efforts vulnerable.

Alongside funding challenges, there is a troubling pattern of international-level restrictions on the participation of NGOs and civil society during major UNCAC events. At CoSP10 in 2023, independent civil society groups were excluded from key sessions due to state objections, raising global concerns about arbitrary and opaque exclusion procedures. These exclusion episodes have a chilling effect, deterring critical voices and casting doubt on transparency in UNCAC processes. The scenario is compounded by legal reprisals, surveillance, and intimidation that many watchdogs and whistleblowers face at home and in international settings.

The Importance of Civil Society

Civil society plays a foundational role in anti-corruption frameworks: advocating for transparency, monitoring compliance, exposing abuses, and elevating voices that would otherwise go unheard. Article 13 of UNCACexplicitly enshrines the obligation of states to promote civil society participation in the fight against corruption. Global experience shows that anti-bribery and anti-money-laundering reforms work best when watchdogs are resourced, empowered, and protected from retaliation.

As stated by UN experts, civic space should be a legal requirement:

“We stand united in urging all States Parties to the UNCAC to recognize civil society not as an obstacle, but as an indispensable partner in combating corruption and promoting human rights. Failure to act risks accelerating the erosion of civic space, weakening anticorruption efforts, and undermining the enjoyment of human rights globally.”

The UN’s Joint Statement: A Push for Reform

In the face of these barriers, a wide-ranging group of UN experts—special rapporteurs and other mandate holders—released a joint statement in August 2025, calling for urgent reforms to restore and expand civic engagement in UNCAC processes. Their recommendations include:

• Immediate reforms to make the UNCAC Implementation Review Mechanism (IRM) more inclusive, transparent, and effective, such as publishing all documentation and opening all stages of country reviews to meaningful NGO input.
• Enabling NGO observer status in all CoSP subsidiary bodies, easing access for civil actors, and protecting activists from reprisals—with the establishment of a global mechanism to monitor and respond to such threats.
• Strengthening links between the UNCAC and UN human rights frameworks, including inviting human rights special rapporteurs to participate directly in UNCAC deliberations.

This unprecedented statement comes as international members started informal negotiations on the future of the UNCAC review mechanism in Vienna earlier this month.

These reforms respond directly to repeated calls by civil society coalitions, many with hundreds of endorsements, for a more open and participatory anti-corruption system. Read the full statement here.

The Stakes for CoSP11

As previously mentioned, NWC looks to CoSP11 with hope and perhaps a cautious optimism. With negotiations on the next phase of the UNCAC review mechanism already underway, CoSP11 is a crucial inflection point. Delegates and international actors face a choice: either reinforce efforts to include and protect civil society voices or risk a further erosion of legitimacy and effectiveness in global anti-corruption governance. Whistleblowers, civic leaders, and NGOs must be safeguarded, funded, and meaningfully engaged if anti-corruption promises are to be credible.

The UN’s joint statement is both a warning and an opportunity: the world’s anti-corruption regime can be reinvigorated—if governments heed the call to action, embed civil society at the center, and create spaces for their voices at CoSP11 and beyond.

“NWC’s presence at CoSP11 represents a commitment to continue its anti-corruption efforts even amid a reduced appetite by its own federal government,” said NWC Founder and Chairman of the Board Stephen M. Kohn. “With state enforcement lagging and funding reduced, only robust, inclusive, and transparent anti-corruption frameworks can deliver on the UNCAC’s ambitious mandate.”

Additional Resources

The decision to come forward is not one to be taken lightly, nor should selecting a whistleblower lawyer. NWC provides resources that can connect you with the right legal professional prior to taking any action.

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This story was written by Justin Smulison, a professional writer, podcaster, and event host based in New York.