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EXPERTS TO DISCUSS PROGRESS IN COMBATING CORRUPTION IN HEMISPHERE

  February 6, 2003

Government experts from around the Americas will gather at the Organization of American States in Washington next week to discuss an evaluation process for measuring progress in fighting corruption in the Hemisphere.

Scheduled for February 10 to 13, the Third Meeting of the Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism for Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption will consider among other things implementation reports by Argentina, Colombia, Nicaragua and Paraguay.

The experts will also consider reports by states parties detailing progress in implementing the Convention. They will also consider the draft annual report on the Committee’s activities and its 2003 work schedule.

A major objective of the follow-up mechanism is to assess the countries’ efforts to implement the anti-corruption treaty, which was adopted in 1996. The treaty entered into force a year later and has been ratified by 28 OAS member countries. Under the Convention, member states must commit to specific anti-corruption measures that include requiring senior public officials to declare assets, and governments must ensure openness in purchases and impartiality in employment policies.

The anti-corruption mechanism stems from a mandate by the Hemisphere’s Presidents and Prime Ministers at the Third Summit of the Americas, in Québec City, Canada, in April 2001.

Reference: E-024/03