The objective of this paper is to analyze the activities within South American regional organizations, mainly the Union of South American Nations, in curbing corruption amongst their member states. In recent decades, the scientific community has intensified their studies linking corruption to negative effects on development, equality, political stability and security on an individual, national and international level. This has influenced a growing international awareness of the ill effects corruption can have on the global system. The hypothesis of this study is that, although other regional institutions, especially the United Nations, have been developing mechanisms that acknowledge and try to fight corruption, the South American organizations have failed to follow suit, even though many of their member states are perceived as corrupt and the issue could negatively affect the stability, security and integration of the subcontinent.
