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http://www.oas.org/juridico/newsletter/nl_en.htm

THE UNITED STATES EXPRESSES ITS CONSENT TO RECEIVE ON-SITE VISIT OF THE OAS ANTICORRUPTION MECHANISM

Through its Permanent Mission to the OAS, the United States formally expressed its consent to receive an on-site visit as part of the Fifth Round of Review of the Mechanism for Follow-Up on the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC).

The Technical Secretariat received the official notification in accordance with the Methodology for Conducting On-site Visits adopted by the Committee of Experts to the Mechanism. This Methodology not only regulates the manner in which States are to grant their consent, but also contains other provisions for achieving its aims.

In this regard, the United States notes that “The United States is strongly committed to the fight against corruption” and “The United States Department of States believes that the MESICIC Review is a very effective anticorruption tool, and values our participation in the process.”

This will be the second on-site visit by the MESICIC to the United States. The first such visit took place from October 7-9, 2014, within the framework of the Fourth Round of Review of the Mechanism. The results of that visit will be included in the United States country report which will be considered by the MESICIC Committee of Experts at its March, 2015 meeting.

The United States joins Chile, Guyana, Mexico and Peru in having formally expressed their consent to on-site visits. The Technical Secretariat of the MESICIC expects to receive similar notifications from other States, which have reported that they are taking the necessary steps domestically to formalize their consent.

With respect to the Fifth Round, the MESICIC will review, among others, the progress made by the States Parties to address the recommendations formulated in their country reports of the Second Round with respect to systems of government hiring, procurement of goods and services, and protecting those who, in good faith, report acts of corruption. Implementation of other provisions of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption will also be reviewed.

The MESICIC is a cooperation mechanism between States, with the participation of civil society organizations, established within the framework of the OAS, in which the legal/institutional framework of each country is reviewed for suitability with the Inter-American Convention against Corruption as well as the objective results achieved therein. The incorporation of on-site visits as a stage and integral part of the MESICIC review process represents an innovative and pioneering initiative in the context of the OAS, especially for a peer review mechanism and the importance of the issues it addresses.

For more information on the MESICIC, please visit the Anti-Corruption Portal of the Americas.

 

Edition N° 202 - February 2015

What is the MESICIC?

The Mechanism For Follow-up on the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, known as MESICIC for its Spanish acronym, is a tool to support the development of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption through cooperation between States Parties.

Read more here


 

 

 

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