Date: 24/06/2021 Public procurement (around 13% of the EU’s annual GDP) is a powerful tool for achieving social impact and is key to countries’ performance, especially amid crises. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, procurement is used to ensure access to life-saving medicines and to expand opportunities for small and medium businesses devastated by lockdowns. How can governments better leverage procurement as a public service to maximise social impact? How can open approaches to procurement, through open data and accessible digital tools, help us achieve better social impact, including more competition, inclusion and sustainability? In the session "Rule of Law,

Date: 04/06/2021 Experts from free expression and civil society communities discussed how UNCAC Member States should implement commitments to enhance civic space, protect civil society organisations and journalists working on anti-corruption initiatives, and improving public access to information and transparency. The panel examined public access to information as an enabler for corruption prevention and enforcement and how important it is for journalists and civil society organisations be able to effectively operate and therefore improve implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the SDGs. The panel discussion further highlighted that supporting anti-corruption work and those who initiate it