Every year on December 9, the world celebrates the International Anti-Corruption Day. The event was established by the United Nations on October 31, 2003, and the date of the celebration was chosen in honor of the signing day of the Convention against Corruption, which took place at a conference in the city of Mérida in 2003. The convention entered into force in 2005, when more than 30 countries ratified it. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the Convention on October 18, 2006. Already in 2009, 80 countries ratified the Convention, and 140 signed it.

The United Nations Convention against Corruption, as well as the International Anti-Corruption Day, calls on countries to take measures to prevent corruption, to establish criminal liability for abuse of power, misappropriation of funds and other forms of corruption. It must be remembered that corrupt actions hinder the construction of a democratic society. Each state should take care of the anti-corruption policy, as well as adopt the necessary laws and relevant anti-corruption bodies.