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Welcome to the third 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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Canada will take a leading role in the efforts to establish an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC).
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In December 2021, the Canadian government directed the new Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly (right) to:
"[Work] with international partners to help establish an International Anti-Corruption Court, to prevent corrupt officials and authoritarian governments from impeding development that should benefit their citizens."
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At President Joe Biden's Summit for Democracy in December 2021, Canada also committed to convening "a national high level, multi-sectoral roundtable to explore options to strengthen the international legal framework and architecture to combat corruption globally."
High-level support for the IACC has also developed in the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden. Integrity Initiatives International (III) has further strengthened its global civil society network and is planning to engage governments in Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Nigeria, Zambia, and elsewhere following recent and upcoming elections.
2022 promises to be a significant year for the campaign for an IACC. To capitalize on this momentum, III is working with an ever-expanding and diverse coalition of individuals and organizations. We hope that you will continue to support the campaign and advocate for the Court in your own countries.
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World Refugee & Migration Council (WRMC) Launches
High-Level Canadian Task Force Against Global Corruption
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Today, III's partner in the campaign for an IACC, the WRMC, launched a new Canadian Task Force Against Global Corruption that will focus on strengthening and developing key instruments of national and international governance to tackle the scourge of grand corruption, including the IACC. One of the task force's key priorities will be to build on the Canadian government's commitment to advance creation of the IACC.
Chaired by former Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, the task force members include: former Canadian Ministers of Justice Allan Rock and Peter MacKay; Senators Ratna Omidvar and Mobina Jaffer; Maureen O'Neil (former President of the International Research Development Centre); Angus Reid (CEO and Founder of Angus Reid Global); and more. The full list of task force members and related resources can be found here.
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Corruption and the Climate Crisis
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Enhancing Global Governance to Address the Climate Crisis
In the margins of the Glasgow Climate Summit in November 2021, III organized a panel on global governance proposals with the Global Challenges Foundation. Remarks on the IACC by Judge Mark Wolf (Chair of III) begin at 37 minutes in the video below:
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- "Developing nations stand to pay a disproportionate price for the effects of climate change, despite having contributed the least to the problem and having the least resources to mitigate it. ... To take climate change seriously, governments must both boost climate investments and develop novel global governance solutions like the IACC to protect them."
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BoldRoom Webinar with Justice Richard Goldstone
Wednesday February 2 at 1PM EST / 8PM CAT
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III Board member Justice Richard Goldstone of South Africa will join the BoldRoom hosted III Youth Leaders Network member Mwila Chriseddy Bwanga (Founder and Director of BeRelevant Africa).
To register click here.
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Voices from III's Youth Leaders Network
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by David Ogungbesan, Esq. - Legal Officer at HEDA Resource Centre, Nigeria
Over the years, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has been at the center of the fight against corruption in Nigeria and illicit financial flows from Nigeria. In addition to the traditional methods of speaking out against corruption – including protest, whistleblowing, public engagement, and public interest litigation, amongst others – HEDA Resource Centre took a bold step by independently investigating the illicit assets of public office holders and introducing the Compendium of 100 High Profile Corruption Cases in Nigeria. The Compendium is the first of its kind in Nigeria and it is otherwise known as a hall of shame for the featured politically exposed persons.
The Compendium has attracted international recognition. It has been used by international law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom and United States as background material for investigations into some corruption and illicit asset recovery cases for Nigeria. It has also provided the foundation for scholarly research projects.
Due to the difficulties of prosecuting corruption in Nigeria, HEDA strongly endorses the creation of an IACC and the creation of a specialized national anti-corruption court in Nigeria.
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The IACC and Anti-Corruption Enforcement in the News
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How to Cure Creeping Kleptocracy: It’s time to establish an international anti-corruption court, Inkstick, December 3, 2021
III Vice Chair Robert I. Rotberg wrote:
- "Grand corruption of the venal kind most responsible for contract fraud, money laundering, large scale theft from public purses, and deleterious educational, public health, and infrastructural disasters, can only be pursued and prevented by investigators and prosecutors who are loyal to an impartial institution independent of domestic and tainted ruling cliques — thus the need for an IACC."
Triangle of Corruption: Why Washington Needs to Get Tough on Central American Kleptocrats, Foreign Affairs, November 26, 2021
III Board member Judge Claudia Escobar shares her recommendations on how the U.S. administration can help promote stronger judicial institutions to counter corruption in Central America. She wrote:
- "A priority of any U.S. foreign policy strategy for the region should be to help Central Americans guarantee the independence of their judicial systems. Time and again, corrupt politicians have stymied judges and prosecutors who have attempted to root out malfeasance."
Daniel Kaufmann on the Destructive Effects of Corruption, Global Governance Podcast, October 2021
Esteemed economist and anti-corruption expert Daniel Kaufmann and podcast host Augusto Lopez-Claros (Co-Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC campaign and Executive Director of the Global Governance Forum) had a wide-ranging conversation about the devastating consequences of grand corruption and potential solutions, including the establishment of an IACC.
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International Conference of Chief Justices of the World
hosted by City Montessori School in Lucknow, India on November 21, 2021
III Chair Judge Mark Wolf and III Board member Justice Richard Goldstone were honored to received the Mother Teresa Award and the Mahatma Gandhi Award respectively. Augusto Lopez-Claros moderated a discussion about the IACC with Judge Wolf and Justice Goldstone. Judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua, a judge of the International Criminal Court, gave closing remarks.
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