ARTICLE - ANTI-CORRUPTION FOLLOW-UP MECHANISM

ANTI-CORRUPTION FOLLOW-UP MECHANISM
(Caribarena Antigua) -

OAS Secretary General: "Anti-Corruption Follow-up Mechanism is a tool to evaluate in a coordinated, serious and responsible way the progress of our democracies”

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today welcomed the Committee of Experts of the Mechanism for Follow-Up on the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption (MESICIC) during their XIX meeting held in Washington DC, highlighting it as “a cornerstone of the organization’s work.”

After welcoming the experts from Antigua and Barbuda, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, countries that recently joined the MESICIC, Secretary General Insulza spoke of the measures the Committee recommended in the fight against corruption, including the responsibility of the private sector in preventing and combating this scourge.

"This sector is part of the problem and should be part of the solution," he noted and pointed out the importance of having the right legal framework in this matter.

The OAS Secretary General recognized the recommendations made by the experts on topics such as detection of bribes concealed as legitimate expenses, corporate criminal liability, accounting requirements that hinder the creation of “front companies," and preventing "trade secrets" that can act as an obstacle for denouncing corruption acts, among other things.

The leader of the hemispheric organization also highlighted the contributions made by civil society to promote wider and more diverse participation of citizens in the Mechanism’s activities. Additionally, he recognized recent consents made by member countries to receive on-site visits of the MESICIC that will enable them to learn and appreciate "on the ground" the actions and measures that are being implemented in accordance with the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption.

"It is very valuable that we already have 29 countries that are willing to be part of that evaluation process and to submit their practices and their laws to this process," he said.

Secretary General Insulza acknowledged the monitoring and evaluation mechanism pioneered by MESICIC, a system that has been cited as an example to follow-up on the progress of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

He explained how "in the discussions ministers have had on how to evaluate the progress of the Charter, this mechanism has been extremely well evaluated," and expressed his certainty that this follow-up initiative has been widely welcomed among the states.

"Most of the arguments in favor of this measure have been accepted based on the good standing of the MESICIC as a noninvasive, collective and coordinated, serious, professional, and technically responsible way to evaluate the progress countries have made in various aspects in their development toward democracy," he said.