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Welcome to the fifth 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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Integrity Initiatives International (III) and its partners around the world have continued to advocate energetically and effectively for the creation of an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC). In May, III and Club de Madrid announced that 42 former presidents and prime ministers, as well as the new President of Timor-Leste, have signed the Declaration in Support of the Creation of an IACC. The Washington Post covered the news in an article on May 25.
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The Declaration now has more than 280 signatories - including former cabinet ministers, high court judges, and leaders of civil society, faith, and business communities - from over 80 countries.
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On June 24, 2022, President Danilo Türk wrote in Politico that the world needs and IACC.
Read his op-ed here.
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III and its partners continue to work closely with Canada and the Netherlands, which have made working with international partners to establish the IACC a part of their foreign policies. In November, they will host, with Ecuador, a conference of ministers from many countries in The Hague at which gaps in the international legal architecture for combatting corruption will be assessed, and potential solutions to addressing those gaps, particularly the IACC, will be discussed. Several more governments have shown an interest in the IACC and III is working with its civil society partners to secure commitments from them to support the Court's creation.
III is also working to refine the evolving concept of the IACC with advice from its growing network of partners around the world. In May, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences hosted a three-day conference of international experts to discuss issues concerning the IACC and a strategy for its creation. In August 2022, the Academy published a comprehensive paper on the IACC written by III Chair Judge Mark Wolf and III Vice-Chairs Justice Richard Goldstone and Professor Robert Rotberg. Building on the discussion at the conference, the paper answers many of the frequently asked questions about the IACC and will be the foundation for further work on the details of the Court. You can read the paper here.
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Accountability for the War in Ukraine
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III also contributes to the development of national level anti-corruption institutions. III has long been involved in Ukraine's judicial reform, including the establishment of its national High Anti-Corruption Court, helping develop the process to select its judges, and mentoring them.
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As the Kremlin wages its aggressive war, III continues to support Ukraine. In an essay on the NBC News opinion page THINK, III Chair Judge Mark Wolf shines a light on the wrongful imprisonment of Russian journalist and human rights activist Vladimir Kara-Murza for, in meaningful measure, calling for a special international tribunal to prosecute Putin and his collaborators for the crime of aggression. Judge Wolf joins Kara-Murza's call for such a special tribunal and explains the important effects it could have.
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$45,000 Matching Grant from the Wayfarer Foundation
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III is pleased to announce that its work catalyzing and coordinating the global campaign for the IACC has received generous support from the Wayfarer Foundation. In addition to a $75,000 capacity building grant, Wayfarer will match dollar-for-dollar individual contributions to III through the end of 2022 up to $45,000.
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Please consider making a tax deductible donation through III's U.S. charitable fiscal sponsor, Third Sector New England (TSNE). Click the button below for instructions on how to make a contribution online, by mail, or by wire transfer.
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Recent Advocacy for the IACC
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III began the summer with a productive trip to The Hague for the World Justice Forum and meetings with its partners in civil society, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the City of The Hague. III Chair Judge Mark Wolf is pictured right with Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra at the Peace Palace before the Minister's keynote speech in support of the IACC to begin the panel pictured below.
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In his speech, Minister Hoekstra reiterated the Dutch government's commitment to work with international partners to establish the IACC.
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Left to Right: III Youth Leader Bianca Bolaños of Mexico, former Polish Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka, Judge Mark Wolf, International Court of Justice Deputy Registrar Jean-Pelé Fomété, III Youth Leader Serena Ibrahim of Lebanon, and Co-Chair of the Campaign for the IACC Maja Groff.
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Watch the remarks from Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra, former Polish Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka, and more on the IACC at the World Justice Forum in June
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Judge Wolf and III's program director Ian Lynch were joined at the World Justice Forum by three members of III's Youth Leaders Network. Bianca Bolaños of Mexico, Serena Ibrahim of Lebanon, and Carlos Vargas of Venezuela spent the week helping III form new partnerships with civil society representatives from around the world and learned from participants in the Forum meetings and each other's experiences combatting corruption in their countries and internationally.
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In June, IACC advocates also participated in panels at other major events to discuss the Court idea, raising awareness and support for it from new audiences.
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At the Annual Meeting of the Academic Council on the UN System in Geneva on June 25, Co-Chair of the Campaign for the IACC Maja Groff moderated a panel on the IACC with keynote remarks from former President of Slovenia and current President of Club de Madrid Danilo Türk.
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Justice Maria Wilson of Trinidad and Tobago also participated in-person and they were joined virtually by III Vice-Chair Justice Richard Goldstone of South Africa, the founding director of the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism Cynthia Gabriel of Malaysia, and the director of Instituto Anticorrupción Michel Levien of Mexico.
On June 28, the International Bar Association (IBA) Anti-Corruption Committee, the IBA Business Crime Committee and the IBA Criminal Law Committee hosted a webinar on the IACC that was well received by its global membership.
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Moderated by the Co-Chair of the IBA Anti-Corruption Committee Leopoldo Pagotto and his colleague Karla Lini Maeji, both of Brazil, the webinar speakers included:
III Vice Chairs Justice Richard Goldstone and Judge Claudia Escobar-Mejia, and Co-Chair of the Campaign for the IACC Maja Groff.
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Voices from III's Youth Leaders Network
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Two years have passed since the explosion
In August 2020, a massive explosion ripped through Beirut when a warehouse fire reached a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the city's port. This was a direct consequence of longstanding government corruption, which resulted in mismanagement and criminal negligence. Below is a reflection on the anniversary of the Beirut blast by Serena Ibrahim, founder of Youth Against Corruption (YAC) in Lebanon and member of III's Youth Leaders Network.
Two years have passed since we stopped believing that there will be a better future for us, our families and youth in Lebanon. Two years have passed since we became convinced that nothing and no one can stop what Corruption can do to our Nation. Two years have passed since the biggest non-nuclear explosion in history, since our capital was destroyed in 1 second. Hundreds were killed and thousands injured.
For several months we couldn’t speak, we couldn’t talk, we couldn’t breathe. Having people you love killed by accident is one of the worst things that can happen to a human being, but having them murdered by the silence, carelessness and hidden political agendas of our government is something else.
Since August 4, 2020, the Government of Lebanon has done nothing to support investigation into the causes of the explosion nor to bring justice to the population. The Youth of Lebanon have lost hope and are leaving to any nation that will give them the chance to live a better life. At YAC, we are working relentlessly to create a space where talents and collective intelligence are mobilized to fight for a future that we deserve.
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Looking for a succinct briefing on the IACC? Journalist Janet Anderson produced this excellent recent episode of the Asymmetrical Haircuts podcast on the IACC from a recent interview with III Vice-Chair Justice Richard Goldstone and Co-Chairs of the Campaign for the IACC Augusto Lopez-Claros and Maja Groff.
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He Got Away With Robbing a Bank. Here’s How to Hold Him Accountable. The Diplomat, August 1, 2022.
III intern Vivian Zhao wrote:
- "Malaysia’s gargantuan 1MDB scandal shows why the world needs to establish an International Anti-Corruption Court."
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Nigerian international lawyer and prosecutor Charles Adeogun-Phillips shares his enthusiasm for the IACC initiative in his acceptance speech on July 20, 2022 for his Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Warwick.
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Published on June 17, 2022, the Road to 2023 report from the Stimson Center includes the IACC as one of its 20 main recommendations intended to encourage more ambitious, forward-looking thinking and deliberation on global governance renewal and innovation in the run-up to next year’s Summit of the Future.
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In the Global Governance Spotlight 1|2022 from the Development and Peace Foundation (SEF), Co-Chair of the Campaign for the IACC Maja Groff explores what changes are needed to help revitalize international law by strengthening institutions such as the International Court of Justice and creating the International Anti-Corruption Court.
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Australia could take the lead in curbing global kleptocrats, The Australian Financial Review, April 29, 2022
In calling for Australia to support the creation of an IACC, former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans and III Board Member Emil Bolongaita wrote:
- "By taking a strong leadership role on this issue, Australia would be not only striking an important blow for decency in global governance but for the overdue restoration of our own foreign policy credibility."
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III is Hiring: Outreach & Communications Coordinator
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III is recruiting an Outreach and Communications Coordinator who will take a leading role in building the global coalition of civil society organizations for the IACC and in planning, designing and executing a communications strategy to inform and educate key governments, the public, media, and other audiences about III’s activities and accomplishments. The ideal candidate is entrepreneurial, capable of balancing multiple competing activities and working independently, and can excel in a fast-paced organization.
For details and to apply, click here.
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