Carbon markets are meant to help finance forest protection and climate action. Yet too often they are undermined by weak governance, corruption risks and a lack of transparency.
Concerns over the credibility of some carbon credits erode trust in a system designed to channel climate finance and support forest-dependent communities.
Corruption in the timber value chain is a major challenge for environmental sustainability and governance in Latin America.
This report presents the application of a corruption risk management approach by environmental authorities in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, implemented through technical assistance from the Basel Institute on Governance’s Green Corruption programme.
The diversity of activities to prevent and combat corruption that harms the environment is laudable. But it is far from the scale needed to tackle today's corruption and environmental challenges.
Adopted in 2019, UNCAC Resolution 8/12 – Preventing and combating corruption as it relates to crimes that have an impact on the environment – urges States Parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) to prevent, investigate and prosecute corruption offences where they may be linked to crimes that have an impact on the environment.
Professor Anne Peters, a renowned scholar of international law and governance, stepped down from her role as Vice President of the Basel Institute on Governance at the end of 2025. In this Q&A she looks back at her involvement with the Basel Institute since its inception more than 23 years ago.
The Working Paper Saplings of hope presents an updated overview of emerging and promising prevention and enforcement actions, initiatives and measures implemented by States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to combat corruption related to crimes that have an impact on the environment. It focuses specifically on initiatives from 2024 and 2025.
"Environmental destruction and corruption are two of the greatest global challenges of our time. Both are closely interrelated…”
This was the starting point of a high-level meeting hosted by the Principality of Liechtenstein. Dominique Hasler and Panagiotis Potolidis of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the discussions together with Peter Maurer, President of the Basel Institute on Governance, and Juhani Grossmann, Head of our Green Corruption Programme.
While most of the world celebrates International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December, Peru has kickstarted a new tradition: an entire week dedicated to integrity, transparency and anti-corruption events and celebrations.
The Basel Institute has published a comprehensive new analysis of corruption and illegal logging in Ukraine. Juhani Grossmann, who leads the Basel Institute’s Green Corruption programme, explains what it covers and why the report comes at a crucial time for Ukraine and its partners.
This introductory guide for the Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project:
This introductory guide for the Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project:
It leads the Illicit Financial Flows topic page of the TNRC Knowledge Hub and is designed to help practitioners find relevant resources.
The key takeaways are: