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Welcome to the thirteenth issue of the quarterly newsletter from
Integrity Initiatives International (III, pronounced "triple I") 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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Greetings from Hamburg, Germany, where the III team has just wrapped up a two-week meeting hosted by The New Institute to work on the draft treaty for the International Anti-Corruption Court (IACCourt). Stay tuned for updates in our next newsletter.
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Members of the pro bono expert group working on the draft IACCourt treaty in Hamburg. They have joined us from Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, and the United States.
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Read on to learn more about the:
- launch of III's new sister organization III Europe in The Hague;
- recent IACCourt advocacy events in The Hague, Paris, London, and Lithuania;
- recent developments in Africa, including the addition of III's Africa Coordinator;
- spotlight on a member of the III Youth Leaders Network;
- and upcoming events and recent media.
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On June 12, III's new sister organization Integrity Initiatives International Europe (III Europe) launched in The Hague with support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the City of The Hague. III Europe will join the coalition of NGOs advocating for the creation of an IACCourt. Meet the III Europe Board, chaired by former Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Knapen, here.
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Dutch Special Envoy Anti-Corruption Caroline Weijers speaks about the need for an IACCourt at the launch of III Europe. Photo Credit: Holland Park Media
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While in The Hague in June, III Managing Director Ian Lynch and III Europe Board Member Diana Eggleston attended the 125 anniversary celebration of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Peace Palace, where the Mayor of The Hague Jan Van Zanen (center) spoke about his strong endorsement for creation of an IACCourt in his keynote address.
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On June 13, III Board Members Judge Mark Wolf, Charles Adeogun-Phillips, Serena Ibrahim, and international law expert Susan Lamb, who plays a key role in drafting the IACCourt treaty, spoke about the Court at the International Bar Association's Anti-Corruption Conference in Paris.
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In June, III Chair Judge Mark Wolf traveled to London to meet with public officials, legal experts, and III partners. On June 17, Judge Wolf and Diana Eggleston, III Europe Board Member, attended a working session about the IACCourt hosted and moderated by Dutch Ambassador to the UK Karel J.G. van Oosterom.
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While in London, Judge Wolf met with Ukrainian Chargé d'Affaires to the UK Eduard Fesko. Minister-Counsellor Fesko and Judge Wolf discussed the IACC and III's enduring support for anti-corruption in Ukraine, where we have contributed to the creation of the High Anti-Corruption Court and in the selection process for its judges and anti-corruption prosecutors.
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Transparency International's International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACConference), provided an excellent opportunity to have wide ranging discussions with anti-corruption prosecutors, commissioners, and other practitioners who face significant obstacles conducting their work in countries including Zambia, Guatemala, Moldova, Seychelles, Maldives, and Serbia. They were excited by the prospect of an IACCourt that could assist their investigations and provide a place to refer cases that they may be difficult to prosecute at the national level.
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While in Lithuania for the IACConference, III Managing Director Ian Lynch met with new and old friends of the IACCourt, including Ketakandriana Rafitoson of Madagascar who is the Vice Chair of Transparency International and the Executive Director of Publish What You Pay. In her personal capacity, she serves on the Africa Subcommittee of the campaign for an IACCourt.
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Ian Lynch also strategized with other members of the IACCourt Africa Subcommittee, including Sheila Masinde of Kenya and Karam Singh of South Africa (pictured), as well as Mary Addah of Ghana and Maurice Nyambe of Zambia (not pictured). He also began discussions with new partners in the Americas and the Asia-Pacific.
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III & PARTNERS COMMEMORATE AU
ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY WITH CALL TO ACTION
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On African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Day July 9, 2024, commemorating the 21st anniversary of the AU's adoption of the Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC), Integrity Initiatives International (III), Club de Madrid, Good Governance Africa (GGA) and the Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU) called on leaders of the African Union to honor the spirit and commitments of the AUCPCC, including by working towards the establishment of an IACCourt.
Read the joint press release here. Pour le français, lire le communiqué de presse ici. |
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INTRODUCING III'S AFRICA COORDINATOR
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We are delighted to welcome Pusetso Morapedi as III's Africa Coordinator for regional advocacy for the IACCourt. Pusetso is the co-founding Board Secretary of the Botswana Centre for Public Integrity and recently worked for the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAFF) as its Southern Africa Director. She has worked with the UNCAC Coalition as their Sub-Saharan Africa Coordinator and spearheaded the establishment of the Southern African Anti-Corruption Network.
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III'S VICE CHAIR DR. CHARLES ADEOGUN-PHILLIPS
TOPS 2024 SAN AWARDEES LIST
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Congratulations to III's Vice Chair Dr. Charles Adeogun-Phillips for his appointment to the esteemed rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). A renowned international lawyer and former genocide prosecutor, Adeogun-Phillips is widely regarded as one of the world's leading international criminal lawyers. You can read more about his appointment here. |
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PhD OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY THE IACCourt
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Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is offering a PhD position split half time between teaching and research. The PhD project will study the the creation of new international courts with a focus on the proposed IACCourt.
Application deadline: September 9, 2024
To learn more and apply click here.
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VOICES FROM III'S YOUTH LEADERS NETWORK
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by Ana Elena Vélez Moroni - Research Assistant at Iniciativa de Transparencia, Anticorrupción y Digitalización (ITAC Digital), Mexico
At ITAC Digital, we focus on preventing and combating corruption in Mexico. We create projects that allow us to help citizens become more knowledgeable and committed to transparency. Our work focuses on studying, analyzing and measuring corruption to design and implement several strategies that would help diminish its incidence. Some of our main activities consist of researching corruption, creating technological tools, and developing courses and training programs, among others.
We believe that corruption is a phenomenon that needs to be tackled from different fronts. For this reason, we seek to create diverse projects targeting a wide variety of audiences. For example, in our program Discorruption Arts students develop pieces of art that represent the phenomenon of corruption. In another program “Binding my business against corruption” we create tools that enterprises can use to improve their integrity levels.
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High-level conference "How to Fight Financial Crime: New Opportunities and Approaches"
on 24th and 25th September 2024
in the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, Tallinn, Estonia
Susan Lamb, an international criminal lawyer and former judge working on the draft IACCourt treaty, will present on How Could an International Anti-Corruption Court Effectively Fill Gaps in the International Framework for Combating Corruption?
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Support of new International Anti-Corruption Court on the rise
Democracy Without Borders, August 5, 2024
By Ksenia Karpova
Afrika roept op tot actie: De noodzaak van een internationaal anti-corruptiehof (Africa calls for action: The need for an international anti-corruption court)
indegazette, July 11, 2024
by Andy Vermaut
Honour African Anti-Corruption Day by Committing to Create an International Anti-Corruption Court
Club de Madrid, July 11, 2024
AU must throw its full weight behind the establishment of an International Anti-Corruption Court
Daily Maverick, July 10, 2024
By Deji Haastrup
African leaders urged to establish International Anti-Corruption Court
GhanaWeb, July 10, 2024
Panama’s new president labels Panama Papers a ‘hoax’ as experts voice concerns about money laundering acquittals
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, July 3, 2024
By Carmen Molina Acosta & Brenda Medina
- Legal experts say the acquittal of 28 defendants facing Panama Papers-related money laundering charges raises questions about the progress of anti-corruption efforts in Panama and beyond, as the country’s new president welcomed the outcome of the trial and called the original journalistic investigation a “hoax.”
- U.S. federal judge Mark Wolf, who also chairs the advocacy group Integrity Initiatives International, said the case reinforces the argument for the establishment of an international anti-corruption court, which could prosecute corruption cases that governments can’t or won’t, whether due to lack of resources or conflicts of interest.
BWIRE: New global court proposed to fight graft at global level
The Star, June 23, 2024
Integrity Initiatives International (III) Europe launches in The Hague as plans for an International Anti-Corruption Court gather pace
The Hague & Partners, Jun 17, 2024
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