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Welcome to the first issue of Integrity Initiatives International's quarterly newsletter concerning global efforts to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter corrupt leaders and end impunity for grand corruption.
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International Anti-Corruption Court
On June 10, Integrity Initiatives International (III) announced that more than 100 world leaders from over 45 countries signed a Declaration in support of the creation of an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC). Among them are 7 former Heads of State or Government, 2 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, and many more former cabinet ministers, intergovernmental officials, business leaders, and representatives of civil society. Concerned with the threats corruption poses to human rights, human health, and international peace and security, the signatories recognize the need for an IACC that can hold corrupt officials and their enablers accountable when national governments are either unable or unwilling to do so. More information about the proposed Court can he found here.
A feature about the Declaration in MacLean's Magazine generated further high-level policy discussion in Canada about the potential for Canadians to lead a campaign to establish the Court. The news was also covered positively in Guatemala, Brazil, Nigeria, and elsewhere, and reached millions on social media in Arabic, English, Farsi, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Op-eds advocating for the creation of the Court were published by III Vice Chair Elaine Dezenski in the Financial Times, Judge Claudia Escobar in Americas Quarterly, Cristina Manzano in El País, Farid Rohani in the Toronto Star, and Justice Richard Goldstone and Paul Hoffman in the Daily Maverick, South Africa.
The Declaration was mentioned at the June 10 launch of the bipartisan U.S. Caucus against Foreign Corruption and Kleptocracy - the first of its kind in the world - and it was highlighted as one of the key anti-corruption happenings of 2021 by the organizer of the Oslo Anti-Corruption Conference during his opening remarks at the conference on June 11. The Declaration is the foundation for an emerging coalition, catalyzed by III, that will campaign throughout the world for the creation of an IACC.
The Declaration comes at a time when corruption is increasingly recognized as a major international problem. On June 2, the G7 Foreign Ministers stated that they “recognize that corruption is a pressing global challenge,” and, on June 13, the G7 Leaders announced that they will take collective action to combat corruption. On June 3, President Joe Biden issued a Memorandum establishing the fight against corruption at home and abroad as a core U.S. national security interest. He stated: “Corruption erodes public trust; hobbles effective governance; distorts equitable markets; undercuts development efforts; contributes to national fragility, extremism, and migration; and provides authoritarian leaders a means to undermine democracy worldwide.”
President Biden also plans to host a Summit for Democracy, at which anti-corruption will be a key priority. In March, III Chair Judge Mark Wolf wrote a widely read essay for NBC News on why the Summit is urgently needed to promote democracy and combat corruption.
UNGASS
The UN General Assembly held its first Special Session against Corruption (UNGASS) from June 2-4. In April, III partnered with Transparency International to organize a letter signed by 96 civil society organizations - including the International Chamber of Commerce and the UNCAC Coalition - urging UN delegations to, at a minimum, form an intergovernmental working group tasked with proposing mechanisms to address gaps in the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) that entered into force in 2005. Unfortunately, the UNGASS political declaration, agreed by consensus, did not create a working group.
III Youth Leaders Network
After several months of planning with its partners, III will launch its Youth Leaders Network in July. The Network will hold regular collaborative meetings that bring together young people fighting corruption around the world to present their work, workshop new ideas, and share lessons learned on how to stay safe while working in challenging environments.
Advocacy for Strengthened Anti-Corruption Enforcement
In April, III Chair Judge Mark Wolf spoke regarding the formation of Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court at a conference hosted by the Harriman Institute at Columbia University. In May, Judge Wolf and III board member Justice Richard Goldstone of South Africa gave a briefing hosted by the Global Governance Forum on why the world needs an International Anti-Corruption Court. The Slovakian Ambassador to the UN Michal Mlynár also made remarks.
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