The Political Declaration, adopted at the Special session of the General Assembly against corruption in June 2021, places anti-corruption education and training at the core of a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to promote transparency, accountability, integrity and a culture of rejection of corruption as a basis for preventing and countering corruption. It recognizes the role young people play as agents of change in creating an atmosphere of non-tolerance towards corruption at all levels of society. The Declaration mandates the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to increase public awareness of and knowledge on preventing and countering corruption.
Building on the success of the Education for Justice (E4J) and Anti-Corruption Academic (ACAD) initiatives, which have become globally recognized for their added value in supporting beneficiaries in Member States, UNODC launches the Global Resource for Anti-Corruption Education and Youth Empowerment (GRACE) initiative to promote further the role of education and youth empowerment in preventing and countering corruption.
The GRACE initiative will bring to the international community knowledge and experience working with educators, academics, youth, and anti-corruption authorities to foster a culture of rejection of corruption.