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Civil society groups were up in arms on Friday at a major United Nations anti-corruption conference in Morroco because of what they say is a lack of access to key meetings at the talks.
Civil society groups from around the world were up in arms at a major United Nations anti-corruption conference in Morocco on Friday because of what they say is a lack of access to key meetings.
The protesters unfurled banners, chanted and banged little drums with stickers saying "Corruption is tragic, and the world it creates is a tragedy" as delegates looked on outside the Palais de Congres conference centre in Marrakesh.
More than 1,000 delegates from over 150 countries that have signed up to the U.N. Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) have been meeting here to review progress in their fight against graft.
Civil society groups, led by the global UNCAC Coalition network, want more than just to be able to attend the conference – they say that for their voices to be heard properly they need access to the key Implementation Review Group (IRG), the body that reviews how countries that have signed up to the convention are doing in fighting graft.
To symbolise how civil society is being stifled the demonstrators covered their mouths and observed a minute's silence before continuing their drumming and chanting.
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