Belize Advances its Plan of Action Project on the Implementation of the OAS Convention against Corruption   

The OAS’ Department of Legal Cooperation of the Secretariat for Legal Affairs, in conjunction with the Belizean Attorney General’s Ministry, held a two-day work-shop on the implementation of the OAS Anticorruption Mechanism (MESICIC) recommendations in Belize. On the 11th and 12th of March, 2010, over forty representatives from diverse branches of Belize’s pubic and private sectors met to evaluate and enrich Belize’s national Plan of Action, expressing their commitment to the inter-American system’s sustained efforts in uprooting corruption in Belizean society.

The Minister of Public Service, Hon. John Saldivar, launched the workshop with words of encouragement:

“This workshop to consider Belize’s draft plan of action on its implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption comes at the middle of the collaborative process between the Department of Legal Cooperation of the Secretariat for Legal Affairs of the OAS and the Attorney General’s Ministry for the development and implementation of a national action plan. It also comes at a time when our Police Department has come under severe criticism relating to possible corruption involving a few…As government we remain committed to our principles and ideals as expressed in our manifesto and we will work tirelessly to restore the integrity of and confidence in the Belize Public Service.”

Following presentations on the functioning of the MESICIC and on Belize’s National Plan of Action, the representatives broke into working groups in order to analyze and strengthen specific measures proposed in the action plan. The participants, some of whom included Supreme Court judges, senators, civil society leaders, delegates from development organizations, and university deans, strengthened Belize’s Action Plan by offering a nuanced and sector-specific glance into the document’s content. Their proposals, presented by each working group on the second day of the workshop, will be reviewed and included in the final action plan, assuring that both civil society and government ministries play a critical role in eradicating corruption in Belize.

The Plan of Action process is an essential part of the MESICIC because it recognizes the necessity of implementation. By evaluating the compliance with the Convention in individual countries and making specific plans for their implementation, the MESICIC takes on added validity and importance as an inter-American tool in combating corruption throughout the hemisphere. Furthermore, the discursive space provided for civil society and the public sector alike ensures that each MESICIC round of review can be examined within a country’s specific national context.

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.

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