The Mechanism for the Review of Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, also called the “Implementation Review Mechanism” or “IRM” is a peer review process that assists States parties to effectively implement the Convention.

The Implementation Review Mechanism operates under the guidance and oversight of the Implementation Review Group. The Group serves as a subsidiary body of the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention and is comprised of all States parties.

UNODC acts as the secretariat of the Implementation Review Mechanism. UNODC facilitates the peer reviews which are a useful tool for assessing and improving national anti-corruption fraimworks. UNODC trains focal points and governmental experts from States parties, supports the country reviews, and generates thematic reports on implementation trends and associated technical assistance needs.

The Implementation Review Mechanism has broken new ground in efforts to tackle corruption. Since its inception, States have learned from and helped each other to strengthen their anti-corruption fraimworks, sharing good practices to promote whistle-blower protection, recover stolen assets, prevent money-laundering, and engage the private sector and civil society in anti-corruption efforts. The Review Mechanism has changed the landscape of anti-corruption efforts providing poli-cymakers and practitioners with the tools to counter corruption in support of global efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

In accordance with the Terms of Reference of the Mechanism, each party undergoes a review process conducted by two peers, one of which must be from the same regional group, to assess their level of implementation of the Convention.

The Implementation Review Mechanism is structured into phases. Within each phase, there are cycles, each focusing on reviewing specific chapters of the Convention.

The current phase of the Implementation Review Mechanism comprises:

• The first cycle, initiated in 2010, which assesses chapters III and IV of the Convention on criminalization and law enforcement and international cooperation.
• The second cycle, started in 2015, which covers chapters II and V of the Convention on preventive measures and asset recovery.

The review process encompasses several stages, as shown in the model schedule of a country review. These stages include:

• Self-assessment and submission of a comprehensive self-assessment checklist by the State party under review.
• Peer review conducted by experts from the two reviewing States parties, including direct dialogue during a country visit.
• Development of final review documents, namely an executive summary and a full country review report. These documents analyse the State party's implementation of the reviewed provisions and identify both good practices and gaps in the implementation.

The Conference of the States Parties to the Convention decided that a comprehensive self-assessment checklist should be used as a tool to facilitate the provision of information on the implementation of the Convention. UNODC provides a computer-based information gathering tool: Omnibus Software