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INSULZA: FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION STRENGTHENS DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today reaffirmed that the fight against corruption constitutes one of the fundamental pillars necessary to maintain democratic stability in the hemisphere. Insulza spoke at the opening of the Second Meeting of the Conferences of States Parties of the Follow-Up Mechanism for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption.

The Secretary General stressed the importance of strengthening the follow-up mechanism (known by its Spanish acronym MESICIC) to ensure that the resolutions, proposals and recommendations made by the experts are carried out in the countries. He said that strong implementation of anticorruption measures by the governments will, without a doubt, benefit governance, stability and development in the hemisphere.

Insulza called for continued reciprocal cooperation on this issue, noting the particularly negative effects of corruption on democratic governance. “We all know that corruption and the lack of transparency have been at the root of much of the citizen dissatisfaction that has led to the fall of numerous leaders,” he said. Corruption also affects economic growth and investment, has “devastating” social effects and threatens public security, he added.

The Conference of States Parties is made up of the 28 countries of the region that participate in the MESICIC process. To date, the countries have completed the first review round of progress and challenges against corruption in each country and in the hemisphere as a whole.

During the two-day conference, chaired by the Ambassador of Brazil to the OAS, Osmar Chohfi, the experts will consider, among other matters, measures related to access to public employment, state hiring and protections for whistleblowers. Participants will also review the progress achieved in the implementation of the recommendations presented to the states in the first evaluation round and will consider adopting the proposed Inter-American Cooperation Program against Corruption.

Insulza referred to the substance of the proposed program, which would promote the development and dissemination of academic research related to cooperation against corruption; facilitate the participation of universities and research centers in the drafting, analysis and dissemination of such studies; continue carrying out comparative studies of the legal norms found in the member states; and identify aspects that may lead to new model legislation that incorporates the most advanced techniques available in the fight against corruption.

Insulza offered OAS technical support and advice in designing a plan of action that would be developed with the participation of the public sector and civil society in each country. Such a plan would incorporate activities that are necessary to implement the recommendations, identify those responsible for carrying them out and set timetables for doing so.

Participants will learn about developments in the area of cooperation related to the Inter-American Convention against Corruption and the MESICIC, in a presentation offered by Jorge García González, Director of the OAS Office of Legal Cooperation. Remarks about the United Nations Convention against Corruption will be given by Simonetta Grassi, representative of the UN General Secretariat, and representatives from nongovernmental organizations will address the role of civil society in the follow-up of the implementation of the anticorruption treaty.

The Inter-American Convention against Corruption was adopted in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1996, and has been ratified by 33 OAS member states.

Reference: E-248/06