OAS strengthens fight against corruption
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| Published on Saturday, April 14, 2007 |
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WASHINGTON, USA: The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have signed an agreement to strengthen the fight against corruption in the Americas. The memorandum of understanding will establish a legal framework in which both entities will work together in anti-corruption efforts as well as state modernization.
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OAS Secretary General, José
Miguel Insulza. OAS Photo |
“This has to do with two interrelated and critical issues for the consolidation of democratic governance, economic growth and the social development of our countries,” OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said during a brief ceremony at the regional body’s headquarters.
Insulza explained that these issues “are very important so that our democracies are not only democracies from an electoral point of view, but also countries that are able to continue developing political and civilian citizenship and citizen participation.”
In terms of state modernization, both organizations identified several areas of potential cooperation, including E-government; public employment and management; budgeting and public expenditures; and open government and citizen participation, among others.
On the anti-corruption front, cooperation would center on issues such as avoiding conflicts of interest; promoting integrity through transparency and accountability; and enhancing resistance to corruption in risk areas such as public procurement, contract management and lobbying.
For his part, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria noted that his organization has a long history of fighting corruption globally. However, he stressed the importance of being able to expand its efforts in this region, “because we only have one Latin American member country in the OECE –Mexico. This is a very exciting and very important opportunity to work with an institution that would then work with all the countries to offer this support,” he said.
Secretary General Insulza reiterated that the fight against corruption is a high-priority issue within the OAS, noting that the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, adopted in 1996, was the first treaty of its kind in the world. This treaty “has become the navigational chart of our collective action in this field,” noted Insulza, adding that it has been ratified by 33 of the 34 OAS member countries.
The OECD, like the OAS, has long been committed to the fight against corruption. In 1997 the OECD created the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign International Business Transactions, and continues to monitor its enforcement through regular meetings of its Working Group on Bribery.
Both organizations have likewise pushed for modernization of the state, which would allow for greater efficiency and transparency.
The agreement signed between the OAS and OECD is an extension of a cooperative relationship that began in 1963. Recent collaborative efforts include a September 2006 technical meeting held in Chile on international bribery investigations and a May 2004 meeting in Brazil which centered on conflict-of-interest issues.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, a forum of 30 democracies, provides a setting in which governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify best practices and coordinate domestic and international policies. |
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