Organization of American States	FORUM ON ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
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Summary Description

Objectives

This Forum is organised jointly by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Organisation of American States (OAS). It will provide an opportunity for a policy dialogue based on the experience of OECD countries in order to help OAS countries in the preparation and implementation of their public administration reform measures. In particular, the forum will:

• support the creation of an informal network of policy-makers and high-level officials facing comparable problems linked to the implementation of preventive measures, as agreed in Article III of the Inter American Convention Against Corruption,
• examine existing solutions to find out how they work in their national environment, and
• work out policy guidelines to give options for solutions in the implementation of the Convention.

Methodology and Outcomes

The forum will provide a unique opportunity to analyse reform measures from their design to their implementation. Particular emphasis will be given to reviewing concrete examples: what approaches have been used to find solutions to problems? Why were these measures successful, or why did they produce the expected results, or even, why did they fail? Presentations of concrete case studies on reform measures in both OECD and OAS countries will introduce interactive discussions in 3 parallel focus groups. Participants will examine the concrete examples and review specific approaches and measures that could be relevant to their national environment.

The debate will also explore what follow-up measures could be taken to review the design and implementation of policies, with a view to increasing transparency and accountability, as requested by the preventive measures of the Inter-American Convention. It is planned to publish the conclusions for the follow-up measures, together with the policy guidelines and case studies, in a joint OECD/OAS publication, and they will also be posted on the Internet in a Forum folder.

Presentations by lead speakers and comments by discussants will be limited to 15 minutes, in order to leave sufficient time for debate. Interventions from the floor should not exceed 5 minutes. As far as possible, copies of papers and presentations will be distributed prior to the forum Delegates are also encouraged to provide background documentation from their respective countries.

Logistics

The two-day forum will take place at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia, Brazil. Participation is by invitation only. Letters of invitation will be sent to OECD and OAS countries in September 2001. There is no registration fee for participants. The working languages will be Portuguese, Spanish and English.

Participants

The primary audience consists of senior policy-makers and high-level officials from OAS and OECD Member countries responsible for the creation and management of measures to increase transparency and accountability in the public and private sectors. Representatives of business, media and NGO communities, through their regional and national associations, will also be invited, in order to facilitate deeper understanding as well as co-operation and alliances among the many stakeholders in the implementation of these measures.

Partner Organisations: Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management, Brazil; Public Ethics Commission, Office of the President, Brazil; United Nations (UN); World Bank Group (WB).

Associate Partners: United Nations Development Program (UNDP); Transparency Brazil; Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)