UNDP'S ONLINE COURSE ON ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCIES

ACAs shall have clear mandates to tackle corruption through prevention, education, awareness raising, investigation and prosecution, either through one agency or multiple coordinated agencies.

ACAs shall not operate in isolation. They shall foster good working relations with state agencies, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders, including international cooperation.

ACAs shall, in accordance with the basic legal principles of their countries , be established by proper and stable legal frameworks, such as the Constitution or a special law to ensure continuity of the ACA.

ACA heads shall be appointed through a process that ensures his or her apolitical stance, impartiality, neutrality, integrity and competence.

In the event of suspension, dismissal, resignation, retirement or end of tenure, all powers of the ACA head shall be delegated by law to an appropriate official in the ACA within a reasonable period of time until a new ACA head is appointed. 

ACA heads shall have security of tenure and shall be removed only through a legally established procedure equivalent to the procedure for the removal of a key independent authority specially protected by law (such as the Chief Justice).

ACAs shall adopt codes of conduct requiring the highest standards of ethical conduct from their staff and a strong compliance regime.

ACA heads and employees shall have immunity from civil and criminal proceedings for acts committed within the performance of their mandate. ACA heads and employees shall be protected from malicious civil and criminal proceedings.

ACA employees shall be remunerated at a level that would allow for the employment of a sufficient number of qualified staff.

ACAs shall have the power to recruit and dismiss their own staff according to clear and transparent internal procedures.

ACAs shall have sufficient financial resources to carry out their tasks, taking into account the country’s budgetary resources, population size and land area. ACAs shall be entitled to timely, planned, reliable and adequate resources for the gradual capacity development and improvement of the ACA’s operations and fulfilment of the ACA’s mandate.

ACAs shall receive a budgetary allocation over which ACAs have full management and control without prejudice to the appropriate accounting standards and auditing requirements.

ACAs shall develop and establish clear rules and standard operating procedures, including monitoring and disciplinary mechanisms, to minimize any misconduct and abuse of power by ACAs.

ACAs shall strictly adhere to the rule of law and be accountable to mechanisms established to prevent any abuse of power.

ACAs shall communicate and engage with the public regularly in order to ensure public confidence in their independence, fairness and effectiveness.

ACAs shall submit annual formal reports to the public (at a minimum) on their activities.