For the 7th year, this 1½-day conference will again bring together those who are responsible for the ethics, compliance or business conduct programmes within their organisations. You will share with your peers practical information and experiences relating to current best practices and explore together some of the problems that are raised in doing business ethically. The meeting follows up on the last conference held in Paris in January 2009. It is an invaluable opportunity to network with a broad peer group of corporate managers working in this field.

Re-scheduled from 11 to 19 January.

Speakers include Eugene McErlean, former internal auditor at AIB, Bernadette Sullivan, former nurse at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Tom Clonan, former officer in the Irish Army and now Irish Times defence correspondent; and John Devitt, Chief Executive of TI Ireland. A panel of renowned whistleblowers will discuss the importance of speaking out in the public interest, and what steps they think need to be taken to promote good faith reporting in Ireland. The meeting will be moderated by RTÉ’s business correspondent Emma McNamara.

Silence has cost thousands of people their lives and livelihoods in Ireland. From the sexual and physical assault of children in the care of the State or the Church, to the gross abuse of financial power by bank executives; the one thing such cases had in common was the suppression of the truth. Those who knew often stayed silent. The victims of abuse and those who spoke out both suffered the consequences.

Transparency International Ireland will launch a new report on safeguards for whistleblowers in Ireland together with international best practice principles for whistleblower legislation at the event.

Co-organized by the African Union Commission and the UN Global Compact, this Forum will convene leaders from the public and private sectors to discuss partnership projects and the achievement of the MDGs on the African continent. This Forum will promote good governance and mobilize the African business community to advance the UN Global Compact's ten principles.
Obs! Event postponed, new date to be announced.

Every January, Asia’s most senior legal and compliance and anti-bribery professionals gather at this leading event to hear from world-class anti-bribery experts and international enforcement agencies, share best practice tips with their compliance colleagues, forge new relationships with in-house practitioners from across APAC, and build their network of professional support.

This year, as well as best-practice strategies for compliance with the FCPA and regional laws dealing with payments to public officials in Asia, we will also provide an in-depth examination of:

• commercial bribery
• dealing with corporate fraud
• managing investigations

Ethical Beacon’s Annual Anti-Corruption Asia Congress truly is the must-attend Anti-Corruption event for Senior Counsel and Chief Compliance Officers with responsibility for Asian operations and subsidiaries.

Improve the State of the World: Rethink, Redesign, Rebuild.
Improving the state of the world requires catalysing global cooperation to address pressing challenges and future risks. Global cooperation in turn needs stakeholders from business, government, the media, science, religion, the arts and civil society to collaborate as a true community. To this end, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting has engaged leaders from all walks of life to shape the global agenda at the start of the year for the last four decades.
The 2010 programme will focus on the following six areas of inquiry and their global, regional and industry dimensions:

• How to Strengthen Economic and Social Welfare
• How to Mitigate Global Risks and Address Systemic Failures
• How to Ensure Sustainability
• How to Enhance Security
• How to Create a Values Framework
• How to Build Effective Institutions

The programme is continuously updated to reflect the latest developments around the world.

The theme of this year's Assembly of the African Union Commission is: Information and Communication Technologies in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Development. Considerations will be made regarding several reports on committees, councils, and chairpersons of various groups such as the ICC, NEPAD, Peace and Security Council, and others. The EFA proposal led by the Republic of Sierra Leone will also be discussed.

The idea for this handbook came from the massive humanitarian response to the Asian tsunami, when the huge levels of resources committed by the international community created concern about new opportunities for corruption. Many international development agencies have put in place corruption prevention polices tailored to development programmes, but there was a noticeable gap in policies for preventing corruption in emergencies. Based on extensive research within and beyond the humanitarian sector, as well as detailed input from the humanitarian community itself, this handbook aims to fill that gap. It offers a menu of good practice tools for preventing and detecting corruption in humanitarian operations.

The handbook is primarily:

• aimed at managers and staff of humanitarian agencies, both at headquarters (HQ) and in the field
• directly for those on front line of aid delivery as well as to senior managers who determine organisational culture and values.

The handbook is designed to help anyone working in the humanitarian sector identify and prevent the corruption risks faced by their particular organisation or department, or within a specific programme or role.

The Commission for Social Development (CSocD) is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. It consists of 46 members elected by ECOSOC. The priority theme for 2010 is "Social Integration"

Since the convening of the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995, the Commission has been the key UN body in charge of the follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. As a result of the Summit, the mandate of the Commission was reviewed and its membership expanded from 32 to 46 members in 1996. It meets once a year in New York, usually in February.

Each year since 1995, the Commission has taken up key social development themes as part of its follow-up to the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit. The Commission's Programme of Work contains all documentation of the Commission for each of its sessions since the Summit.

The BIEC is a four day program of lectures and panel discussions featuring leading figures from across the world in economics, politics, civil society and the private sector. Speakers and participants will discuss different perspectives on the recent financial crisis and the international economy.

In particular, the Berlin International Economics Congress will pursue the following specific aims:

• To increase the range of stakeholders taking part in the global debate on the international economy by identifying and defining additional partners from the public sector, the private sector, civil society, and academia
• To explore the relationship between economic interdependence (economic bridges) and global peace and stability
• To assess the benefits and challenges of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and socially responsible investment (SRI) in international relations
• To explore the role of Cultural Diplomacy and Soft Power policies in strengthening multilateral cooperation in the global economy
• To produce clear policy recommendations to decision makers based on inter-disciplinary approaches and perspectives

The following issues will be addressed and explored:

• The New Economic World Order & International Relations
  (Focus: Russia, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia)
• Moving Beyond Copenhagen: Bridging International Economics and Climate Change
  (Focus: The Copenhagen Conference, Economic Dimensions of Climate Change, the Role of Civil Society, Green Technologies)
• The Global Financial Crisis
  (Focus: Causes, Impact, Protectionism and the Challenges Ahead; Case studies of Iceland, Dubai, Latvia, Hungary, and the US)
• Corporate Social Responsibility and Socially Responsible Investment
  (Focus: Multinational Corporations in Africa, Latin America and Asia, the Triple Bottom Line, Business Ethics, CSR Rating Indices)
• Traditional Industries in the Information Age
  (Focus: Real Estate, Tourism, Car and Aircraft Industries, and Agriculture)
• Ethics in Aid and Trade: Incentives and Impacts
  (Focus: Ethical Trading Initiatives, Fair-trade, Ethical Consumerism, The Role of NGOs)

If you would like to attend please apply online here.

"Business as Unusual"

The Sustainabillity Day is a new initiative to share and promote a ‘culture of common purpose’ leading toward new thinking and best practices in corporate sustainability at a global level. The Sustainability Day is a commitment which will be renewed over the years and will consolidate into a peer network for discussion and cooperation over the challenges of sustainability through policies and practices.

The event will draw together the key stakeholders of the sustainability domain from around the world and will be chaired by:

• Fulvio Conti CEO and General Manager of Enel
• Professor Mervyn King of South Africa, author of the King Reports on Corporate
  Governance, president of the Global Reporting Initiative, Supreme Court Judge
  and advisor to the United Nations and the World Bank.

At the event, the Economist Intelligence Unit will present the results of “The Business of Sustainability”, its new research into how companies worldwide are integrating goals of sustainability into their business strategies and practices.

Political financing regulation is a body of principles, rules and procedures through which parties attempt to limit the undue influence of money in politics. In most countries state bodies such as governmental departments, national electoral commissions, specialised financing monitoring bodies were entrusted or created to monitor and enforce political and financial regulations.

The list of corrupt practices experienced in Asia and Europe associated to party and election financing is widely known to decision-makers and the public at large: favouritism and malpractice in public procurement, distortion of privatisation processes, selective licensing, abuse of public resources for campaigning, creation of slush funds in state-owned enterprises and public bodies etc.

This 2-day workshop will look at what can be learned about a self-regulating body by looking comparatively at different regulatory experiences that have evolved across countries in Asia and Europe.

Drawing from different regulatory experiences and multi-disciplinary perspectives in both Asia and Europe, the workshop aims to:

• Examine existing bodies and mechanisms overseeing political financing.
• Discuss the challenges and trends facing political financing today, particularly in Asian and European democratising countries.
• Promote a professional network to discuss and exchange knowledge-based, innovative and integrated methods of strategies and activities regarding political financing.
• Contribute to closer and informal relationship between different national actors in Asia and Europe.

Each year, the High-Level Group brings together Heads of State or Government and some thirty Ministers of Education and of International Cooperation, heads of development agencies and representatives of civil society and the private sector.

Its role is to:

• maintain and reinforce political momentum in favour of EFA
• recommend priorities to accelerate progress
• highlight leading challenges
• leverage more resources for basic education

This report presents a regional overview of accountability and transparency in primary education management in seven African countries. It has been produced within the framework of Africa Education Watch (AEW). AEW is a three year programme (2007-2010) implemented by Transparency International (TI) that focuses on governance in the management of public funds in the primary education system.

As part of this programme, TI undertook a large-scale assessment of the effectiveness of decentralised accountability structures. It covered seven countries:

• Ghana
• Madagascar
• Morocco
• Niger
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• Uganda.

Countries surveyed were selected based on the presence of a TI Chapter in the country with previous experience working on education. Another criterion was representation of economical and cultural differences.

Experts from the EU and the Member States will analyse the changes brought about by the Lisbon Treaty in the field of criminal justice. The conference will also link this discussion to the recently adopted Stockholm programme and analyse how these two developments are likely to affect future integration in the policy area as well as what new legislative measures might arise in the coming years.
Viviane Reding, the Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, will present her policy vision on the future of criminal justice.
The following issues will be explored:

• The EU’s competences in judicial cooperation in police and criminal matters, such as the possibility to harmonise offences and sanctions;
• Practical consequences of the new decision-making processes, such as the involvement of the European and national parliaments;
• The new role of the Court of Justice;
• Issues concerning the transitional period and when the changes will occur in practice;
• Consequences of opt-outs and opt-ins;
• The protection of fundamental rights and the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on e.g. procedural safeguards in criminal proceedings;
• Changes in the role of Europol and Eurojust;
• The European Public Prosecutor.
  

Languages:
English, French, German (simultaneous interpretation)

Following the success of their inaugural Summit, American Conference Institute and C5 Group are pleased to introduce the 2nd Russia and CIS Summit on Anti-Corruption. This one-of-a-kind Summit brings together an exceptional faculty of senior corporate ethics and compliance executives, attorneys, accountants and government officials. They will provide a comprehensive update on the anti-bribery landscape in Russia and the CIS, the intersection of local anti-bribery laws and how to implement robust anti-corruption policies to comply with local and foreign anti-bribery laws. This year’s agenda will include the latest information on:

• How Russia’s new anti-corruption measures affect foreign and local companies
• Exposing hidden ownership structures in Russia and the CIS
• Implementing robust anti-corruption compliance and training programs that integrate local legal standards and traditions
• Dealing with questionable payments and conducting cost-effective internal investigations
• Implementing a risk-oriented due diligence process for agents, intermediaries and joint venture partners
• Setting up effective internal accounting controls to prevent unauthorized payments

Expanding on the unprecedented success of previous summits held in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Brussels, MIS Training Institute EMEA is delighted to bring you the 4th Annual Fraud & Corruption Summit 2010. Taking place in London, the summit will focus on the detection, prevention and investigation of fraud, corruption and financial crime. By attending the summit you will walk away with proven techniques for mitigating fraud and corruption to protect your assets and reputation.

The three-day conference agenda at a glance is as follows:

• Day 1: A Strategic Approach to Fraud & Corruption
• Day 2: Dectecting, Deterring and Frustrating Fraud & Corruption
• Day 3: Prevention and Enforcement: Pragmatic Solutions to Manage Investigative Work, Prosecutions and Recovery

An unrivalled international speaker panel from across business and government sectors will share experiences and successes gained from managing projects and cases involving fraud and corruption.

The Vice-President of the Republic of Guatemala, Acción Ciudadana and Transparency International will host a presentation of the report: “Corruption Networks and Corruptive Criminal Networks: Reforms for their Eradication."

ACI’s National Conference on the FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT is the event that corporate counsel, compliance officers, outside counsel and accountants rely on for comprehensive, insightful, and practical guidance on critical FCPA compliance issues.

Benefit from the practical perspective of seasoned corporate FCPA compliance executives, get an update on enforcement and policy initiatives from top Government officials and FCPA attorneys, and learn how industry is setting up internal controls to comply in this constantly changing global legal landscape. This year’s agenda includes the latest information on:

• Changes you need to make to your compliance program as a result of recent cases against companies and individuals
• How government agencies evaluate voluntary disclosures
• Deciding whether you've investigated "enough": how much is enough in trying to learn the facts?
• Risks and concerns when a joint-venture partner is a governmental entity
• What your system of fraud risk internal controls needs to accomplish
• Assessing the risks faced by particular companies based on geographic scope, business model, business sector and other factors
• Communicating with government authorities: balancing cooperation with maintaining an effective defense

For almost a decade, Latin America has enjoyed more stable and on average more positive economic growth than in past decades. However, one-fourth of the population still lives on two dollars a day with limited access to basic services and infrastructure.

Latin American countries also face the global challenges of building a solid financial architecture, providing quality education for all, developing clean and diversified sources of energy and sustainably using natural resources. While consensus is emerging in the region on the need to preserve and strengthen democracies, there is no consensus on how to reduce poverty and inequality. To shape the fundamentals of a new development cycle, a redesign in regional cooperation is needed which is based on enlightened values and mutual trust.

The main themes featured in this year's forum are:

• Demography, Democracy and Governance
• Leading the Green Economy
• New Opportunities for Cooperation
• Paths towards Economic Recovery and
• Reducing Inequality in Latin America

The theme for the Twelfth Congress will be "Comprehensive strategies for global challenges: crime prevention and criminal justice systems and their development in a changing world".

Crime congresses have been held every five years since 1955 in different parts of the world and have contributed to shaping international and domestic policies and promoting novel thinking and approaches to complex issues at the heart of one of the key institutions of the modern state: the criminal justice system.

The Twelfth Crime Congress will bring together the largest and most diverse gathering of policymakers and practitioners in the area of crime prevention and criminal justice, as well as parliamentarians, individual experts from academia and representatives of civil society and the media.

The Twelfth Crime Congress, which marks the fifty-fifth anniversary of United Nations congresses on crime prevention and criminal justice, offers a unique opportunity to stimulate in-depth discussion and proposals for action along three principal avenues by:

• Establishing firmly the criminal justice system as a central pillar in the rule-of-law architecture;

• Highlighting the pivotal role of the criminal justice system in development;

• Emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to criminal justice system reform to strengthen the capacity of criminal justice systems in dealing with crime

The provisional agenda for the Twelfth Congress shows that special attention will be paid to: children, youth and crime; smuggling of migrants; trafficking in persons; money-laundering; and cybercrime.

As is the practice, participants in the Twelfth Congress will adopt a declaration containing recommendations based on deliberations held during the high-level segment, the round tables and the workshops, to be submitted to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice at its nineteenth session, in 2010.

The Global Philanthropy Forum Conference is intended for individuals who have made a significant commitment to philanthropy, and executives from private, public, and corporate foundations. Participation in the conference is by invitation only, and invitations are not transferable.

The conference's plenaries include:

• Levers of Change
• Effecting Change, Providing Food Security
• Effecting Change, Advancing Global Health
• Effecting Change, Improving Access to Water
• Meeting the Challenge: Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
• Defying Convention, Redefining the Social Sector

B4E, the Business for Environment Global Summit, is the leading international conference for dialogue and business-driven action for the environment. The 4th annual summit will be held in Seoul, South Korea, in April 2010. CEOs and senior executives from some of the world’s largest multinational corporations will join leaders from governments, international agencies and NGOs to discuss:

• energy efficiency,
• green growth strategies,
• clean tech innovations and
• partnerships.

Over three days of presentations, seminars and debate, B4E 2010 will galvanize the international business community into further action, highlighting the vital role that companies can play and inspiring them to become low-carbon leaders.

Written by some of the leading experts on lobbying transparency in Europe, the book introduces readers to the world of lobbying in Brussels and critiques the growing influence of corporate lobbyists over EU decision-making. It analyses key factors behind excessive industry influence over EU policy-making and include concrete proposals for addressing this democratic imbalance, including demands for the way forward - which will be presented at the launch.
The book is launched as Maroš Šefčovič, the new Commissioner in charge of transparency and ethics issues, is about to start negotiations with the European Parliament on creating a joint lobby register. Earlier this year Šefčovič announced that he would reform the Commission's conflicts of interest rules. The time is clearly ripe for reform.
Speakers at the launch will include:

• Isabelle Durant, Vice President of the European Parliament, Member of the Greens / European Free Alliance, Member of the Inter-Institutional Working Group for a joint register between the Commission and the Parliament for a joint lobby register
• Olivier Hoedeman, research coordinator of Corporate Europe Observatory
• Will Dinan, Strathclyde University, researcher for Spinwatch and member of ALTER-EU Steering Committee

Join a discussion on the role whistleblowers play in exposing corruption and preventing wrongdoing and disaster. The event will be moderated by John Devitt, a TI Board Member and Chief Executive, Transparency International Ireland.

Speakers will include:

• Pieter Omtzigt; Member of PACE, rapporteur on whistleblower protection (Netherlands)
• Eugene McErlean; Whistleblower, formerly Allied Irish Banks (Ireland)
• Cathy James; Public Concern at Work (United Kingdom)
• Eliska Cisarova; Transparency International Czech Republic

Corruption and a lack of transparency are pervasive problems in the Arab region, hindering development and public accountability in spite of increased public awareness and political will that have made it a priority in some national agendas. The region is also characterised by a lack of accessible empirical data on the specific forms and nature of corruption.

To address this fundamental challenge, Transparency International carried out a three-year programme to analyse corruption, and identify sustainable structural reforms needed to be addressed in

• Egypt
• Lebanon
• Morocco
• Palestine

The programme, Promoting Transparency and Enhancing Integrity in the Arab Region, aims to analyse the systemic causes of corruption in each country, inform citizens, governments, the private sector and other stakeholders and identify ways to effectively tackle corruption.

To do so, detailed studies and research centered on a baseline National Integrity System report will be completed for each country involved in the project. The individual reports will then be compiled into a Regional Overview document. A further report monitoring compliance with the UNCAC will be completed in each country. The reports will serve as the basis for raising awareness in the region, and will be supported by numerous capacity building events.

The Council of the Americas’ Washington Conference on the Americas is the premiere event in the nation’s capital focusing on the Americas and has consistently brought together senior corporate executives with the highest level of speakers. It fosters greater understanding and relationship-building among private sector leaders by providing a platform for top government, industry, and policy leaders to engage in substantive analysis on timely themes important to the hemisphere.

In May 2010 Amsterdam will once again play host to the world’s largest gathering of leaders, thinkers and doers in the field of sustainability reporting. The Amsterdam conference will convene a debate on how reporting can be used to help build a better future.

Thought leaders from

• business
• finance
• government and
• civil society

will debate the political, strategic and practical choices confronting us.

Expert practitioners will lead workshops and interactive sessions to define the building blocks of more effective reporting.

To further develop TI’s climate governance programme objectives and an attendant results-based framework, TI is organising a Climate Governance Workshop: Mapping governance risks, stakeholder interventions, and future actions, to be held in Berlin from 12-14 June 2010. The workshop aims to scope out current and foreseen corruption and governance risks to be addressed in the governance of climate financing and MRV processes. It will take stock of stakeholder interventions to address those risks, and develop coordinated strategies or actions to contribute to improving:

• transparency,
• accountability,
• anti-corruption,
• public participation and
• public oversight in climate governance.

The Workshop invites contributions to our programme development, and offers opportunities to support the work of other stakeholders through our expertise in promoting civil society anti-corruption work globally. These objectives reflect TI’s commitment to work with key stakeholders to address priority climate governance issues and to support desired human and environmental benefits and safeguards enshrined in global agreements and declarations. The Workshop aims to attract approximately 50 participants from a wide range of representatives including representatives from bilateral climate finance agencies, intergovernmental institutions, private sector and civil society think tanks and non-governmental organisations and academia to participate in this working meeting.

Registration for the workshop is now closed.

This year's spotlight of German development cooperation organisations is "Diversity – Driver for Development“. Contributing to this topic, the Public Policy Conference 2010 addresses the challenges that public institutions face in designing political and administrative processes in a heterogeneous environment. Due to diverse country conditions and conflicts of interest - both, in society and the public sector -, various challenges for public institutions arise requiring different approaches of support.

The conference focuses on 3 centraal questions:

• The public sector – designer or administrator of diversity?
  We pose the question of thhe role of the state in society. We want to examine public institutions considering their sspecific shape as well as their relations to noon-state actors both in civil society and the private
  sector.
• What steering instruments do public institutions use?
  Which limits derive from the complex environment in which they are applied? Different courses of action for public institutions will be analysed - not only isolated, but also in reference to their interactions. The scope of action of public institutions is defined by the specific contexts (varying shapes of public institutions, limited statehood et cetera). Following this assumption, we ask for potentials and limits of public steering functions in different contexts and the consequential challenges for development cooperation.
• How can public action achieve certain results?
  Public reform processes show diverse impacts, e.g. in different political sectors. Therefore another central topic of the conference will be the questions of how certain results can be achieved and where collaboration with different actors can be helpful.

Are You Prepared for Increased Enforcement Against Corrupt Practices?

There is no doubt that anti-corruption enforcement continues to increase domestically and internationally. According to recent research nine British companies are being investigated by U.S. authorities for allegedly bribing foreign officials to win business in overseas markets.

Download brochure

The International Conference on Anti-Corruption, Good Governance and Human Rights aims to bring together academic scientists, leading engineers, industry researchers and scholar students to exchange and share their experiences and research results about all aspects of Anti-Corruption, Good Governance and Human Rights, and discuss the practical challenges encountered and the solutions adopted.

The conference workshops provide a challenging forum and vibrant opportunity for researchers and industry practitioners to share their research positions, original research results and practical development experiences on specific new challenges and emerging issues. The workshop topics should be focused so that the Participants can benefit from interaction with each other and the cohesiveness of the topics.

Transparency International Summer School on Integrity in Vilnius is the first course in the region aimed at directly addressing the subject of corruption and how to fight it. TI Summer School is for graduate students and young professionals from EU/EEA, CIS and other countries.

Participants will learn from leading anti-corruption experts about the causes of corruption and practical ways new democracies can become more transparent and accountable in both the public and private sectors. It is important to note that:

• The language of instruction is English.
• There is a limited number of competitive scholarships covering transportation, tuition and board expenses.
• The application deadline is 16th May, 2010 and
• the one-week course will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania, from 5th – 9th July, 2010.

University students will earn 1.5 ECTS for successful completion of the course. The course costs 150 Euros for students without scholarships. The fee covers accommodation, meals and some extra-curricula activities. Participants are expected to cover their own travel expenses (including visas, insurance, etc.).

The TI Summer School is organized by Transparency International Lithuania in cooperation with Mykolas Romeris University. The School is sponsored by the Embassies of Finland and United States in Vilnius, Transparency International Secretariat and The Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation.

The 2010 Caux Forum will focus on remedies. One feature will be the Caux Call to Action designed to mobilize a global ‘coalition of conscience’ around practical strategies for addressing human security concerns.

The conversation will be organized around four urgent themes:

• Healing Memory
  
• Just Governance
  
• Living Sustainably
  
• Inclusive Economics
  

Panel discussions and working sessions will be led by experts from both the developed and developing world. As in the 2009 Forum, participants will include representatives from some of the world’s most troubled regions.

Daily ‘Changemaker’ sessions will feature initiatives which are restoring hope to situations of despair. We will hear from people across the world who are improving governance, healing the wounds of war, strengthening cooperation across religions and cultures; overcoming poverty; and developing effective responses to climate change, among others. Working sessions will give an opportunity for interaction with experts in a variety of fields, aimed at empowering participants to take creative action.

One focus will be the challenge of building trust. Unhealed wounds in our relationships play a crucial role in international negotiations. For over 60 years, Caux has been a venue where people have felt able to bring hurts into the open. Often that has resulted in steps towards healing and reconciliation, sometimes with significant impacts on deadlocked situations.

TEDGlobal 2010, held over the course of four days in Oxford, will explore the shocking undercurrent of good news just below the surface of today's troubling headlines. Headlines remind us daily of the political, economic and environmental woes facing the planet. But behind the scenes lie an amazing array of new ideas, new science, new technology, new social and political thinking, new art and a new understanding of who we are. When you put it all together, an entirely more hopeful view of the future emerges.

The TEDGlobal experience will include:

• A fast-paced, highly curated four-day stage program featuring TED's famous 18-minute talks, plus music, comedy, tech demos, short talks, video interludes and other surprises
• TED University: The hugely popular, pre-conference sessions (Monday, July 12, and Tuesday, July 13) where attendees share their areas of expertise, from "How men create their spaces" to "Why companies should give away shares."
• Optional pre-conference activities (Monday, July 12), including carefully curated TED-only tours of Oxford landmarks and other UK sites, like Bletchley Park
• Immersive evening events at Oxford's most intriguing spots
• A farewell BBQ and punting on the River Cherwell.
• Art exhibits, tech demos, and other experiences
• Intense conversation breaks, where attendees and speakers delve into the ideas introduced on stage
• Thoughtfully designed simulcast spaces where you can watch the conference in an informal setting
• The famous TED Gift Bag
• Online tools for connecting with other attendees, before and after the conference

After much anticipation, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM) have officially launched the 9th CIVICUS World Assembly registration process. The 9th World Assembly will take place in Montréal (Quebec), Canada between 20 - 23 August 2010, and will continue to be hosted in Montréal in 2011 and 2012. CIVICUS will be hosting the Montréal series of World Assemblies in partnership with Institut du Nouveau Monde at the Palais de Congrès.

The overall theme of the World Assemblies is 'Acting Together for a Just World'. This theme will be explored in 2010 through the focus theme of Seeking Out Solutions: Economic Justice. Cross-cutting themes of development effectiveness and climate justice will add to the debate, which will include the perspectives of women, indigenous groups and the youth. The World Assembly is known as the primary convening event for civil society, but also invites members of government, business, donors and the media to participate.

The Government of Austria in close cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and supported by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is organizing a conference called “From Vision to Reality: A New and Holistic Approach to Fighting Corruption” – which will include the launch of the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) in Laxenburg, Austria.

The Federal Minister of the Interior, the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs and the Federal Minister of Justice, together with the other Partners are thus pleased to invite you to the conference, which will open a new chapter in the global fight against corruption and provide the international community with a tool to address corruption in a holistic manner through the institutionalized cooperation of extremely qualified persons from all over the world. It will bring together high-level representatives from the various stakeholders involved in the fight against corruption, including Member States of the United Nations, other international organizations, the private sector and civil society. The conference will feature an opening ceremony and two thematic plenary sessions.

UNODC and the Republic of Austria, supported by OLAF have been cooperating closely towards the establishment of IACA, which will start its first activities in October 2010. The Academy will serve as a centre of excellence in the fields of anti-corruption education, training, cooperation and academic research by applying a holistic approach to these issues and taking into account geographical and cultural diversity. IACA will be a unique and central element in the fight against corruption and thus make an important contribution to the global anti-corruption agenda.

The World Water Week in Stockholm is the annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues. Organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), it brings together experts, practitioners, decision makers and leaders from around the globe to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions.

Organised and directed by The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), World Water Week has gained an international reputation as a unique forum for the exchange of views and experiences between scientific, business, policy and civic sectors from around the globe. The program aims to transcend rhetoric and provide real answers to the world’s water-related problems by harnessing and linking best:

• practices
• scientific understanding
• policy insight and
• decision-making

A comprehensive agenda of workshops, seminars and side events undertake in-depth examinations of the most critical issues, complemented by prize ceremonies, field trips and events that provide an abundance of opportunities for the professional networking that has come to be a World Water Week hallmark.

The World Justice Project’s (WJP) second major Rule of Law Conference in Latin America and the Caribbean will join 100 regional leaders from a variety of disciplines to underscore the impact of the Rule of Law on all aspects of life and generate new cross-disciplinary plans to strengthen the Rule of Law in the region. Topics will include:

• Balancing Economic Development and the Environment;
• Public Security;
• Government Accountability.

The WJP mission is to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the Rule of Law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity.

The World Justice Project is based on two complementary premises:

• First, the Rule of Law is the foundation for communities of opportunity and equity; and
• Second, multidisciplinary collaboration is the most effective way to advance the Rule of Law

A worldwide Rule of Law deficit undermines efforts to make societies safe, lift people from poverty and build economic prosperity, reduce corruption, improve public health and enhance education. The WJP is tapping into a broad recognition that the Rule of Law is essential to thriving communities and to the success of virtually all fields of endeavor.

Their work consists of three complementary and mutually reinforcing program areas:

• Mainstreaming
• Rule of Law Index and
• Scholarship

The WJP is unique in its engagement of stakeholders from a variety of disciplines, and is building an active network of governmental and non-governmental leaders from 17 disciplinary fields, representing all socio-economic levels of society.

A consensus has formed in the hemisphere around the importance of good governance for development. Political stability associated with internal socioeconomic integration, strong democratic institutions, and the participation of citizens in the decision-making process are characteristics of good governance. Achieving it requires the efficient allocation of public resources by an accountable government, and transparent public administration. Corruption works against effective governance and development policies. It is for this reason that the Inter-American Development Bank and Transparency International have an active role in relation to this concern and encourages governments, civil society organizations and citizens to comply with international anti-corruption conventions, which are one of the most important mechanisms for combating it.

• The goal of this meeting is to strengthen dialogue with civil society organizations (CSOs) by sharing experiences and best practices related to supporting the monitoring and implementation of International Conventions against corruption. Please see the agenda for more details.

• Kindly RSVP by 9 September 2010.

At this year's World Bribery and Corruption Compliance Forum, 30 speakers from diverse backgrounds will be sharing their insights including:

• Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General for England and Wales
• senior representatives from the OECD, SFO, SEC, FBI, UK Police Anti-Corruption Unit and
• several companies who have been on the receiving end of investigation.

The forum will also analyse the latest case studies and legislation, including the global implications of the new Bribery Act. Find out how best to set up effective monitoring, reporting and compliance procedures and avoid penalties. This unique event will not only enlighten you as to the new and existing legislation, but also give you real and crucial guidance on managing third parties. It’s critical to ensure your own house is in order to avoid corruption, achieve full compliance cost effectively and mitigate your ethics risks.

For interested participants, please note:
There is a 10% discount available by quoting VIP Code: KW8081TRSPL

This popular Public and Professional Interest division conference has become a preeminent gathering for practitioners, prosecutors, judges and experts from around the world to discuss this rapidly developing area of international and national law. Topics include:

• the OECD convention against bribery of public officials after 10 years: an anniversary assessment;
• multi-jurisdictional investigations and prosecutions;
• case study: BAE Systems;
• a revised law, new prosecutions, settlement innovations and monitors - seminal changes in anti-corruption enforcement in the UK?;
• prosecutions against individuals - a harbinger of future enforcement strategies?;
• at what point do marketing activities and promotional expense become improper corrupt payments? Spotlight: pharmaceuticals;
• "Tiered due diligence";
• case study: the Patria case;
• state-of-the-art compliance in the wake of the Siemens case;
• roundtable of former anti-corruption Czars

Who should attend?
Private practioners, in-house counsel, compliance officers, auditors, law enforcement officials and representatives

For more information on the conference programme, please click here.

The Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute [TTTI], with the kind assistance and support of the Commonwealth Foundation and Transparency International, is pleased to announce a workshop entitled ‘Strengthening Good Governance in the Commonwealth Caribbean’. The objective of the workshop is to encourage the establishment of more Transparency International National Chapters in the Commonwealth Caribbean to promote good governance in the public and private sectors with the aim of reducing corruption.

The project is important because of the widespread perception that crime and corruption are increasing in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Such developments could pose a threat to the region’s democracy and good governance, and should be arrested and reversed. The increase is due, in part, to the region being a transhipment route for drugs from South to North America and Europe. Small States with weak institutions, or ineffective protective services, are challenged to deal with the financial strength of the drug cartels and are a disadvantaged in the battle against crime and corruption. As a consequence, poverty is perpetuated and basic human rights entitlements are denied some of the people. The forming of more TI NCs in the Commonwealth Caribbean will make an impact on reducing crime and corruption by the introduction of strategies and programmes to fight the problem. TI and TTTI will support the NCs formation and management and spare them having to ‘re-invent the wheel’.

Representatives from the following Caribbean islands will be attending the workshop:

• Barbados
• Guyana
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent
• Grenada
• Antigua
• Jamaica
• Turks & Caicos and
• Trinidad and Tobago

The Forum 2000 Foundation aims to identify the key issues facing civilization and to explore ways in which to prevent escalation of conflicts that which have either of the following as primary components:

• religion
• culture
• ethnicity

We aim to provide a platform to discuss these important topics openly and to enhance global dialogue. Through our activities, we also intend to promote democracy in non-democratic countries and to support the civil society, respect for human rights and religious, cultural and ethnic tolerance in young democracies.

This year’s conference is based on the notion that where we happen to exist affects how we live and who we are. The environment, which is ours and will be passed on to generations to come, is in decline. It suffers due to climate change, the effects of globalization and overpopulation, chaotic urbanization, wasted natural resources, and expanded transport systems

The conference “The World We Want to Live In” will focus on ways to positively influence the environment and open a debate about our responsibility for the state of the world. Conference participants will search for new and less ruthless strategies of growth and seek to find a balance between spiritual and material values.

The IACC is the world premier forum that brings together royalty, heads of state, civil society and the private sector to tackle the increasingly sophisticated challenges posed by corruption. The IACC:

• takes place every two years in a different region of the world
• attracts up to 1500 participants from over 135 countries
• serves as the premier global forum for the networking and cross-fertilisation that are indispensable for effective advocacy and action, on a global and national level

The IACC draws attention to corruption by raising awareness and stimulating debate. It fosters the global exchange of experience and methodologies in controlling corruption. The conferences promote international cooperation among agencies and citizens from all parts of the world. They also help to develop personal relationships by providing the opportunity for face-to-face dialogue and direct liaison between representatives from the agencies and organisations taking part.

The title of the 14th IACC is Restoring trust: Global action for transparency, focusing particularly on the themes of good governance and sustainable development.

Call for workshop proposals open in February.