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OAS Anti-Corruption Commission to Hold 23rd Meeting of Committee of Experts

The Twenty-Third Meeting of the Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) of the Organization of American States (OAS) will take place from Monday, March 17 to Friday, March 21, at the headquarters of the hemispheric institution in Washington, D.C.

During the conference, the Technical Secretariat of MESICIC will present the preliminary reports on the on-site visits to Canada, Ecuador, Guyana, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic conducted during the Fourth Round of follow-up evaluations. The reports will be considered and adopted by the 31 states that currently comprise the Mechanism.

Moreover, issues of mutual interest will be discussed such as "the responsibility of the private sector in preventing and combating corruption," during which there will be voluntary presentations by the States Parties and international organizations, as well as the private sector, participating as guests.

The following stages of the meeting will be open to the press and broadcast live through the OAS Website: the opening of the event, in which civil society representatives will participate, on Monday 17 from 9:00 to 11: 00 EDT (13:00 to 15:00 GMT); the intervention of the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, who will speak to the Committee of Experts on Wednesday at 9:00 EDT (13:00 GMT); and the review between member states, international organizations and the private sector on issues of mutual interest, such as the private sector’s responsibility in the fight against corruption, on Thursday, March 20, from 14:30 to 16:30 EDT (18:30 to 20:30 GMT).

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 review process represents an innovative and pioneering initiative in the context of the OAS, which, with the support of the Technical Secretariat, has further strengthened this reciprocal review mechanism among States.

WHAT: Twenty-Third Meeting of the Committee of Experts of the OAS MESICIC

WHEN: Monday, March 17 to Friday, March 21, 9:00-17:30 EDT (13:00-21:30 GMT)

WHERE: Padilha Vidal Room
OAS General Secretariat Building
1889 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006

Reference: AVI-035/14