SAINT
VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES SIGNS ANTI-CORRUPTION CONVENTION
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica �
The government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines today signed the
Inter-American Convention against Corruption, during a ceremony at the
annual General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS).
Louis
Straker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Trade of Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, noted that fighting corruption is a
cornerstone of good governance. He underscored the importance of this
issue to his government, which took office just two months ago.
�We
have taken it upon ourselves as one of our first acts that we should
sign this agreement on corruption,� Straker said.
In
opening remarks at the ceremony, OAS Secretary General C�sar Gaviria
noted that the 1996 Inter-American Convention against Corruption �
the first treaty of its kind in the world � seeks to combat the
problem in all its forms. A strong democracy requires accountability
and transparency, he said.
Countries that are parties
to the Inter-American Convention against Corruption are required to
adopt a series of measures, such as passing domestic laws
criminalizing the acceptance or solicitation of bribes by public
officials. The countries also agree to consider applying a series of
measures to prevent corruption and promote transparency in government.
Belize
also signed the anti-corruption treaty today at the OAS General
Assembly. Twenty-nine countries in the Americas have now signed and 22
have ratified the landmark treaty. Yesterday, representatives of the
ratifying countries formally agreed to establish a follow-up mechanism
to follow progress against corruption in states that have both signed
and ratified the Inter-American Convention.