Media Center

Press Advisory


ANTI-CORRUPTION EXPERTS TO MEET AT OAS

  June 19, 2008

Anti-Corruption experts from the hemisphere will meet at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington from June 23-27, to review the progress of six countries in their efforts to implement measures from the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (IACAC), including those related to government hiring, procurement, and whistle blower protection.

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza will deliver remarks for the 13th Meeting of the Committee of Experts of the Mechanism for Follow-Up on Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC), which will consider country reports for Canada, United States, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Guatemala.

The Committee will also hold informal meetings with civil society organizations, and conclude its session on Friday, June 27, after a final review and adoption of the six country reports.

The MESICIC review process operates in a series of successive “rounds” in which each State Party is reviewed to see how well it is complying with selected provisions of the IACAC. The second round of review, which began in April, 2006, is scheduled to be completed in December 2008.

Convention provisions selected for review during the second round include systems of government hiring and procurement of goods and services, and systems for protecting public servants and private citizens who, in good faith, report acts of corruption. The second round reports also consider the steps taken by each State Party to implement the recommendations adopted by the Committee from the First Round reports.

MESICIC was created in 2001 to monitor compliance with the 1996 Inter-American Convention against Corruption.

For more information about the Convention and MESICIC, please visit the website. (http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/fightcur.html)


WHAT: 13th Meeting of MESICIC Committee of Experts

WHEN: Monday, June 23 to Friday, June 27, 2008

TIME: Beginning 11:00 a.m. (Washington Time)

VENUE: Padilha Vidal Room
OAS General Secretariat Building
1889 F Street
Washington D.C. 20006

Reference: AVI-042/08