STATES PARTIES TO THE MESICIC CELEBRATE AND SHOWCASE PROGRESS ON ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY

This Friday, December 9, 2011, to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, the States Parties to the Inter-American Convention against Corruption and to the Follow-Up Mechanism on the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC), have scheduled activities and events to commemorate this day, some of which will present concrete developments related to the implementation of the Convention and with the recommendations made to them in the framework of the MESICIC.

According to the information available to the Technical Secretariat of the MESICIC, the actions and developments to be presented include the following:

Brazil – The Office of the Comptroller General (CGU) will hold events throughout the country to present the main actions taken to combat corruption, as well as the results attained in this area in the past year. In addition, a debate on the implementation of the recently enacted Law on Access to Public Information will be held that day and the “Diagnosis of values, knowledge and culture of access to public information in the Brazilian Federal Executive Branch" will be released.

Colombia - The President of the Republic will attend an event for the installation of the Commissions of Moralization created by the Anticorruption Statute (Law 1474 of 2011). Also, the Office of the Attorney General this week held ​​the First International Summit on Anti-Corruption Best Practices, which was attended by high officials of the Colombian Government, as well as national and international experts, who on several occasions stressed the importance of continuing with the monitoring, control and ratings of municipal and state leaders and to make more visible the results.

Costa Rica - The Office of the Comptroller General, the Office of the Public Prosecutor (especially the Office of the Public Ethics Prosecutor), the Office of the Attorney General, and the Costa Rican Institute on Drugs, will present the draft bill on the partial amendment and addition to the Law Against Corruption and Illicit Enrichment in the Public Administration, Law No. 8422.

Ecuador – The Council for Citizen Participation and Social Oversight (CPCCS) will hold commemorative events in the cities of Quito, Guauyaquil, Cuenca and Tena, with the participation of agencies that make up the Transparency and Social Oversight Function (FCTS), among others. In every city the CPCCS will present to the public a summary of cases investigated by the agency within its constitutional powers.

El Salvador - The Strategic Affairs Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, through the Secretariat of Transparency and Corruption (SSTA), carried out various activities for the "Week of Transparency", including a swearing-in ceremony for 73 information officers, where other advances for the effective implementation of the Law on Access to Information was presented, and the launching of consultations regarding the anti-corruption and transparency policy of the Executive Branch. In addition, on December 9, a ceremony will be held to present two postage stamps on the Inter-American Convention against Corruption and the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

Paraguay – The Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic has organized the II National Forum to Combat Corruption, with the objective of sharing best practices by government institutions and civil society organizations and working towards a State that is more transparent, more efficient, and one that provides better services to its citizens.

Peru – The Civil Service Secretariat of the Office of the President of the Council of Ministers has scheduled an event to present a trophy that acknowledges those government agencies of the Executive Branch that have promoted the Code of Ethics of the Public Service and those who develop innovative activities in the framework of the fight against corruption.

Uruguay – The Transparency and Public Ethics Board (JUTEP) will hold for the first time on this day an activity that will feature presentations by representatives of various government agencies responsible for combating corruption. The closing session of this event will be conducted by the President of the Republic, José Mujica.

For more information on these commemorative events, please visit: http://www.oas.org/juridico/spanish/eventos.htm.

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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