OAS and Inter-American Development Bank partners in regional corruption fight

The signature of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the Organisation of American States (OAS) provides a critically needed impulse to jump-start the implementation of the recommendations resulting from the Inter-American Convention against Corruption(IACAC) monitoring mechanism, Transparency International (TI) says today.

“We hope that this translates into real action to reduce corruption levels in the Americas region,” said Transparency International Chair Huguette Labelle. “We expect the MoU to grow into an instrument that strengthens law enforcement and to initiate concrete programmes for following up on the Convention.”

The MoU, which was signed on 18 March during the IADB’s annual meeting in Guatemala City, is the culmination of the IADB and the OAS expressed desire to join forces on monitoring the implementation of the regional Convention by sharing information and examining ways to support the recommendations of its official follow-up mechanism. The Convention, signed in 1996, is the first international anti-corruption legal framework of its kind. Monitoring the recommendations of its intergovernmental follow-up mechanism is vital to ensure the full implementation of the Convention across the Americas region.

“The OAS now has 60 days to come up with the concrete details of this cooperation, which will be the real test of their commitment,” said Marta Erquicia Transparency International Programme Coordinator. “As they finalise these details, they need to ensure that there is an active role for civil society as a monitoring partner.”

The 12th International Anti-Corruption Conference last November in Guatemala, served as a platform for the IADB and OAS to join forces to improve monitoring of the IACAC.

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Transparency International is the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption.

Media ContactsMarta Erquicia+49-30-3038-20651merquicia@transparency.org