The international day against corruption is celebrated annually on December 9 at the initiative of the United Nations.
On this day, December 9, 2003, in the Mexican city of Merida on the political high-level conference was opened for signature the UN Convention against corruption (adopted by the UN General Assembly on 31 October 2003).
The document provides for measures to prevent corruption, punish the perpetrators, and mechanisms for international cooperation in combating it. It obliges member States to carry out anti-corruption policies, to endorse the relevant laws and the establishment of special bodies to combat this phenomenon.
The Russian Federation is among the first countries to sign the UN Convention and ratified it in 2006. In the same year, Russia ratified the criminal law Convention on corruption. 25 Dec 2008 the Russian Federation adopted the Federal law "On combating corruption", which establishes the main principles of combating corruption, legal and organizational basis of prevention of corruption, minimization and (or) eliminating consequences of corruption offences.
Currently, the overcoming of corruption and prevention of corruption, development and the implementation of effective anti-corruption state policy is relevant for the Russian Federation: the country has consistently implemented a number of important anti-corruption projects at both the state and international levels.
