As an integral part of its regional programme of anticorruption conventions, Transparency International appointed a group of experts from various fields to form an Advisory Council. Building on their expertise in advocacy-related issues, the different perspectives they bring from their specific fields and their knowledge of the Latin American region, TI seeks to have different players contribute to the fight against corruption, taking the UN and OAS conventions as a advocacy benchmark.

What are the duties of the Council?

The Advisory Council will provide strategic counseling to the Regional Anti-Corruption Conventions Programme. It will also offer innovative views and foster dialogue and broader collaboration with other initiatives, such as:

1. Facilitate access to the various players directly or indirectly involved in the fight against corruption in the region, in order to have a broader perspective and foster the inclusion of further players in the programme activities;
2. Provide advice on strategies and possible courses of action aimed at strengthening the Conventions Programme;
3. Help the TI team assess its progress and redeploy its efforts in order to achieve the maximum impact.

Click here to learn more (only in Spanish)

Who are the Council´s members?

Leslie Benton, Transparency International – USA, Transparency International National Chapter in the United States. Click here to learn more.

Eduardo Bertoni, Executive Director, Due Process of Law Foundation. DPLF is a civil society organization that fosters reform and modernization of justice systems to secure the rule of law. DPLF works with a special focus on subjects such as transparency in the judiciary and training of lawyers and judges in regional and universal human rights. Click here to learn more.

Vonda Brown, Program Associate for the Latin America Program of Open Society Institute. The Program focuses on three main subject areas: fostering transparency and accountability, strengthening democratic institutions and securing international support with a view to building an open society. Click here to learn more.

Laurie Cole is an international consultant in Latin American issues. Until August 2007 she worked for the Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL) as Director of the Governance and Civil Society program, focused on promoting and supporting an active participation of civil society in regional (i.e. OAS) and national processes in the Americas.

Viviana Krsticevic, Executive Director, Centre for Justice and International Law. CEJIL is a civil society organization that seeks to guarantee the full implementation of international human rights laws in the member states of the OAS, through the effective use of the Interamerican system for the protection of human rights and other international protection mechanisms. Click here to learn more.

Dario Soto, Deputy Director, Trust for the Americas. This non-for-profit affiliate of the OAS is engaged in planning and executing strategic programs that respond to the emerging needs of OAS member states. Its programs comprise initiatives on transparency and governance, development of economic opportunities for disadvantaged groups and corporate social responsibility. Click here to learn more.

Silvana Lauzán

Director of the Programme for Democracy and Human Rights at the Centre for Human Rights (Centro de Derechos Humanos, CDH). This programme, which seeks to provide and foster training and development, research, and promotion of regional networks for debate over action strategies and priorities, is organised into two main fields of work. The first approaches Human Rights and Processes of Democratisation. The second field has as its focus Transparency, Accountability and the Fight against Corruption. Click here to learn more.

Americas Department of Transparency International´s Secretariat.