Press Releases

- CONVENTION ON TRANSPARENCY IN WEAPONS ACQUISITIONS ADOPTED

- BAR ASSOCIATION STUDIES CORRUPTION CONVENTION.   Mexico, June 6 to 12

- CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON CENTRAL AMERICA MEETS IN SWEDEN.   Stockholm, Sweden, May 25

- TRANSPARENCY AND PROBITY IN PUBLIC SERVICE CONSIDERED.  Stockholm, Sweden, May 25

- DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL COOPERATION TO PARTICIPATE IN CARTER CENTER CONFERENCE TO PROMOTE GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY.

- OAS AND IDB SIGN AGREEMENT FOR NEW COOPERATIVE ANTI-CORRUPTION PROJECT IN THE AMERICAS.    Washington, D.C. March 26

- OAS AND IDB TO HOLD SIGNING CEREMONY FOR NEW COOPERATIVE ANTI-CORRUPTION PROJECT FOR THE AMERICAS.  Washington, D.C. March 17

- VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE HIGHLIGHTS OAS PROJECT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION. Washington, D.C. February 26

 

 

Convention on transparency in weapons acquisitions adopted

The foreign ministers or their representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, United States and Venezuela on June 7 signed the Inter-American Convention on Transparency in Conventional Arms Acquisitions. The treaty seeks to foster confidence among the states of the Americas and to allocate more resources to economic and social development in the region. It will also facilitate information exchange among the countries concerning weapons systems, under the United Nations Registry of Arms. The Inter-American Convention takes effect thirty days after six countries ratify, accept, approve or become party to it. The treaty was drafted by a working group co-chaired by United States Ambassador Victor Marrero and Brazilian Ambassador Carlos Leite Barbosa, with the Secretariat for Legal Affairs providing technical advisory services.

 

 

Bar Association studies corruption convention

The OAS’ adoption of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption is a pioneering effort being observed with great interest by other regions of the world seeking to come up with a treaty on bribery by public officials, according to Jorge García González, Director of the OAS Department of Legal Cooperation and Information. He updated the Annual Conference of the Inter-American Bar Association-held in Mexico June 6 to 12-on the background to the Inter-American Convention, its articles and scope and the process the OAS has been following for it to take effect and be enforced. He noted too that the OAS and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) had designed a project to assist 12 countries of the Americas in evaluating their laws and to get the relevant authorities in each country to agree on reforms needed to bring criminal laws in line with the Convention.

 

 

CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON CENTRAL AMERICA MEETS IN SWEDEN

OAS Secretary General César Gaviria will be among those gathering in Stockholm, Sweden, from May 25 to 28 for a meeting of the Consultative Group for Reconstruction and Change in Central America. The opening ceremony will be addressed by Sweden’s Prime Minister Goran Persson; United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan; the OAS Secretary General; Vice President of the European Commission, Manuel Marín; and the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, Enrique Iglesias. The Presidents of Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica will also address the meeting. The sessions include a seminar on issues of regional interest to discuss ecological and social vulnerability, transparency in using resources, decentralization and local development. The OAS delegation includes officials from the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development, the Department of Legal Cooperation and Information and the Sustainable Development and Environment Unit. The presentations and discussions on programs underway in each of the Central American countries begin on Wednesday 26.

 

 

TRANSPARENCY AND PROBITY IN PUBLIC SERVICE CONSIDERED

Director of the OAS’ Department of Legal Cooperation, Jorge García González, speaking at the Second Meeting of the Consultative Group for Reconstruction in Central America that was held in Stockholm, Sweden, from May 25 to 28, addressed at a workshop on transparency and governance in Central America and referred to the activities that could be undertaken through the OAS to help reconstruction and change in Central American countries. He cited the adaptation of criminal laws to provisions of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, application of preventive measures and adoption of initiatives to foster participation of civil society and non-governmental organizations in efforts to prevent and punish corruption. He also underscored the importance of this treaty to that endeavor. The Convention was signed by all the countries of Central American, four of which have ratified it.

 

 

DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL COOPERATION TO PARTICIPATE IN CARTER
CENTER CONFERENCE TO PROMOTE GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY

The Department of Legal Cooperation will participate in a conference entitled: "Transparency for Growth in the Americas". This conference is hosted by the Council of Freely Elected Head of Government of the Carter Center and will take place May 3-5, 1999. The Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government is a informal group of current and former presidents sponsored by the Carter Center who promote democracy and the peaceful resolution of conflict in the region.

The purpose of this conference is to evaluate current efforts and make recommendations for specific anti-corruption practices to improve investor confidence, improve public services and strengthen democratic institutions. Leaders from at least 10 countries in the region, including Belize Prime Minister Said Musa, Ecuador President Jamil Mahuad Witt and Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, as well as U.S. President Jimmy Carter, IDB President Enrique Iglesias and U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin will participate in this event.

As part of the conference, Dr. Jorge García-González, Director of the Department of Legal Cooperation, will participate in a round table discussion concerning regional initiatives to combat corruption. Dr. García will discuss OAS efforts in this area. At the conclusion of the two-day conference, the participants will issue a statement and recommendations.

 

 

OAS AND IDB SIGN AGREEMENT FOR NEW COOPERATIVE
ANTI-CORRUPTION PROJECT IN THE AMERICAS

Washington, D.C. March 26- César Gaviria, Secretary General of the Organization of American States, and Enrique Iglesias, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), inaugurated a new anti-corruption project at special ceremony held today at the Organization of American States (OAS). The project was developed by the Department of Legal Cooperation of the Organization of American States and is jointly funded by the U.S./CIDI Specific Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank. The US/CIDI Specific Fund is a new funding mechanism developed under U.S. government auspices that encourages innovative partnerships for development in the Americas.

At the ceremony, the Secretary General highlighted the importance of the project in, " …fighting one of the biggest problems affecting democratic systems and social and economic development" in the region. He also praised the hard work of the Legal Department of the IDB and the Department of Legal Cooperation of the General Secretariat of the OAS in making this project a reality. President Iglesias highlighted the problem of corruption in the region and reiterated the importance of the project.

The primary goal of the project is to promote the signature, ratification and effective implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption. To reach this goal, the Department of Legal Cooperation will work with executing institutions in each of twelve participating countries. Countries participating in the project include Argentina, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Panama. Last year, the Department sponsored workshops in Colombia, Costa Rica and Venezuela.

This initiative will provide effective assistance to countries in the implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, adopted by the OAS at a Specialized Conference held in Caracas, Venezuela on March 29, 1996. Technical research projects will be prepared in each of the participating countries that will evaluate the state of national criminal legislation to see if they conform to the obligations set out in the Convention. The research projects will also identify modifications that need to be made to existing legislation and suggest new legislation that may need to be adopted to meet the requirements of the Convention.

These projects will be disseminated, analyzed and enriched in the workshops that will be organized for this purpose. The workshops will serve as a forum for discussion and promote the development of a national strategy for the prompt and effective implementation of the Convention. Other components of the project include the creation of an on-line forum and network. These mechanisms will allow government institutions and representatives of civil society participating in the project to monitor progress that has taken place in this field and increase technical cooperation. Transparency International, one of the leading international organizations representing civil society in the fight against corruption, is joining with the OAS and IDB in supporting this initiative.

This is part of an overall OAS strategy to combat corruption and will help the OAS to meet the mandates given to the Organization at the Miami and Santiago Summits of the Americas.

 

 

OAS AND IDB TO HOLD SIGNING CEREMONY FOR NEW
COOPERATIVE ANTI-CORRUPTION PROJECT FOR THE AMERICAS

Washington, D.C. March 17- César Gaviria, Secretary General of the Organization of American States, and Enrique Iglesias, President of the Inter-American Development Bank, will hold a special ceremony to inaugurate a new anti-corruption project. The ceremony will be held Friday March 26, 1999, at 10:30 a.m. It will take place at the Hall of the Heroes located in the Main Building at the Organization of American States.

The project was developed by the Department of Legal Cooperation of the Organization of American States and is jointly funded by the U.S./CIDI Specific Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank. The US/CIDI Specific Fund is a new funding mechanism developed under U.S. government auspices that encourages innovative partnerships for development in the Americas. Transparency International, one of the leading international organizations representing civil society in the fight against corruption, is also supporting this project and will contribute to its implementation.

The primary goal of the project is to promote the signature, ratification and effective implementation of the Convention. To reach this goal, the Department of Legal Cooperation will work with executing institutions in each of twelve participating countries. Countries participating in the project include Argentina, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Panama. These workshops build on the previous work of the Department in this area. To fully implement the Convention, the Department hopes to work with every country in the region to provide technical assistance by 2001.

This initiative will provide effective assistance to countries in the implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, adopted by the OAS at a Specialized Conference held in Caracas, Venezuela on March 29, 1996. Technical research projects will be prepared in each of the participating countries that will evaluate the state of national criminal legislation to see if they conform to the obligations set out in the Convention. The research projects will also identify modifications that need to be made to existing legislation and suggest new legislation that may need to be adopted to meet the requirements of the Convention.

These projects will be disseminated, analyzed and enriched in the workshops that will be organized for this purpose. The workshops will serve as a forum for discussion and promote the development of a national strategy for the prompt and effective implementation of the Convention. Other components of the project include the creation of an on-line forum and network. These mechanisms will allow government institutions and representatives of civil society participating in the project to monitor progress that has taken place in this field and increase technical cooperation.

This is part of an overall OAS strategy to combat corruption and will help the OAS to satisfy the mandates given to the Organization at the Miami and Santiago Summits of the Americas.

The cooperative efforts of the OAS and IDB serve to highlight the serious challenge that corruption poses to the economic and democratic development of the Americas.

 

 

VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE HIGHLIGHTS OAS
PROJECT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

Washington, D.C. February 26- Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, in the closing session of the Global Anticorruption Forum, highlighted the OAS project for cooperation in the implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption.

The project, prepared by the Department of Legal Cooperation of the General Secretariat, will be funded by the U.S./CIDI Specific Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank.

The Fund is sponsored by the U.S. Government and was created under the framework of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development of the OAS (CIDI) to promote new and innovative partnerships for development in the region.

The first Global Anticorruption Forum brought together 86 countries. Delegations included presidents, ministers and other high-level government officials and representatives of civil society. Participants took this opportunity to discuss different issues concerning the problem of corruption.

The Director of the Department of Legal Cooperation of the OAS, Jorge García González, was a panelist at a special session on Global and Regional Anticorruption Frameworks that took place on February 25, 1999.

The Project will continue the activities begun during the past year by the General Secretariat of the OAS through this Department. Transparency International, the international organization representing civil society that is a leader in this area, is also supporting this project and will contribute to its implementation.

This initiative will provide effective assistance to countries in the implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, adopted within the OAS framework on March 29, 1996. Technical research projects will be prepared in each of the participating countries that will evaluate the state of national criminal legislation to see if they conform to the obligations set out in the Convention. The research projects will also identify modifications that need to be made and will develop proposals concerning the content and elements of the text that should be adopted into the national law according to the obligations set out in the Convention.

These research projects will be disseminated, analyzed and enriched in the workshops that will be organized for this purpose. These workshops will create a space for discussion and promote the development of a national strategy for the prompt and effective implementation of the Convention.

Other components of the project include the creation of an on-line forum and network. These mechanisms will allow government institutions and representatives of civil society participating in the project to monitor progress that has taken place in this field and increase cooperation.

This OAS project constitutes the most important initiative in the Americas to fight corruption bringing together the two most prominent international organizations in the region, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS) and institutions representing civil society working in the field.