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Issue 11: “Webinars on the IACC & youth anti-corruption efforts,” April 2024

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Welcome to the eleventh 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.
We have two exciting events tomorrow, April 24, that you can watch online. Join high court judges, former cabinet ministers, and activists to learn more about the International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC) at an event hosted by Fordham Law School. Earlier in the day, watch the next IACC Youth Talk highlighting the anti-corruption work of members of III's Youth Leaders Network. More information on both events can be found below.

Read on to also learn more about:
  • IACC advocacy efforts around the world;
  • the III Youth Leaders Network;
  • a U.S. anti-corruption update;
  • and other upcoming events.
Contribute to Integrity Initiatives International
TOMORROW: WATCH VIRTUAL EVENTS ON THE IACC
Fordham Law Hybrid Panel on the International Anti-Corruption Court

Tomorrow, April 24, from 4:00 pm - 5:50 pm EDT

Online and at Fordham Law School, Room 2-01A

To watch online, register for the event here.

Also tomorrow, the next IACC Youth Talk will feature members of the III Youth Leaders Network are implementing in Africa and Latin America. Register in advance here.

9 am EDT / 2 pm GMT / 3 pm CET & SAST / 4 pm EAT & EET

Check out past episodes below.

INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION COURT (IACC) ADVOCACY
United Kingdom

In March 2024, III Chair Judge Mark Wolf; Board Members of III Europe, our newly-founded sister organization in The Hague, Diana Eggleston and Maja Groff; and III Managing Director Ian Lynch traveled to London to engage with political leaders, legal experts, and civil society. 

The III team and fellow IACC advocate John Penrose MP (Conservative), the former UK Anti-Corruption Champion, met with anti-corruption officials at the UK Foreign Office to discuss the proposed court. III also met with a senior foreign policy advisor to the Labour party, which has committed to championing the IACC proposal if it wins elections this year.
Among other meetings, the III team visited the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC) to learn more about how they facilitate transnational anti-corruption cases, gleaning insights that will be valuable for the production of the IACC draft treaty. The team also visited the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law to discuss collaboration.
Virtual Africa Sounding Board Meeting  
In March, III and Club de Madrid (CdM) hosted a Virtual Africa Sounding Board Meeting on the IACC. Key regional governments and civil society stakeholders joined for a briefing on the global efforts to create the IACC and to provide feedback on the court's design.
Speakers included:
  • Moussa Mara, Former Prime Minister of Mali and CdM member
  • Richard Goldstone, Former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and Vice Chair of III
  • Ketakandriana Rafitoson, Executive Director of Transparency International Initiative Madagascar
  • Charles Adeogun-Phillips, Former Head of Special Investigations at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and III Board member
IACC Draft Treaty - Expert Meeting in Hamburg, Germany
The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany has graciously provided its facilities for meetings of the IACC draft treaty project. In August 2023, it hosted the first in person scoping meeting of the expert group working on the treaty.
April 9-11, 2024, III's Senior Treaty Advisor Maja Groff (Photo Credit: Luzia Cruz | THE NEW INSTITUTE), convened the co-chairs of the drafting subcommittees at The New Institute. Topics included: court management; core crimes; international cooperation; asset recovery and return; and victims, whistleblowers, and witnesses. 
Overall, more than 60 international judges, lawyers, scholars, and anti-corruption experts are now contributing to the efforts to produce the draft treaty. In August 2024, a large group of the experts will reconvene at The New Institute to polish the draft before beginning consultations with interested states and civil society.
South Africa  
Ahead of the May 29 elections in South Africa, a team of dedicated activists from Leaders for Integrity, Accountability Now, and Corruption Watch are working to raise awareness about the IACC proposal. In recent months they have met with former President Thabo Mbeki, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the Defend Our Democracy Movement, leading academics and more as they build a broad South African coalition in favor of an IACC.
In March, Koogan Pillay, Co-Chair of the Africa Subcommittee for the IACC Campaign, presented the IACC at the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) meeting to 200 delegates representing government, business, and civil society.
In April, Pillay and Justice Richard Goldstone presented the IACC at the Good Governance Africa (GGA) and Afrosai-E Anti-Corruption Seminar. The Anti-Corruption Seminar brings together a range of stakeholders to present and discuss fortifying anti-corruption efforts across Africa.

Also in April, Paul Hoffman, III Board Member, gave a presentation about the IACC to a range of civil society groups at the Action for Dialogue. The IACC team in South Africa will be joining many more events ahead of the May elections - stay tuned!
New York City
On April 4, III Chair Judge Mark Wolf and III Managing Director Ian Lynch were invited to the Renew Democracy Initiative's Heroes of Democracy Gala. There, they connected with new and old partners among RDI's community of pro-democracy activists and government leaders. Among the awardees, the Estonian Ambassador to the UN Rein Tammsaar (pictured center) accepted the award on behalf of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. You can watch the prime minister's recorded acceptance speech here.
IACC YOUTH TALK SERIES
On the last Wednesday of each month, the IACC Youth Talk Series brings you conversations between youth audiences and leaders in anti-corruption and international justice. The forum is dedicated to empowering global youth voices in the campaign for an IACC.
The Archive of Past Episodes
In the first episode of the IACC Youth Talk Series, the panelists introduced the IACC proposal, the ongoing IACC draft treaty process, and plans for the campaign to create it.

Listen to the episode here.
In the second episode of the IACC Youth Talk Series, the panelists assessed the existing international court landscape, analyzing lessons learned from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), and more.

Watch the episode here.
In the latest IACC Youth Talk (episode 3), experts working on the IACC draft treaty delved into topics they are working on, including international cooperation, internal court management, the role of judges, asset recovery and return, and the potential jurisdiction of the court.

Watch the episode here.
VOICES FROM III'S YOUTH LEADERS NETWORK
by Kayiwa Samuel - Project Officer on Human Rights and Civic Space at Students for Global Democracy (SGD) Uganda
SGD Uganda, a student-led nonprofit founded in 2005, aims to inspire young people to embrace principles of leadership, good governance, and sustainability in Uganda and globally. SGD Uganda serves as a platform for youth advocacy on issues including sustainable development, accountable governance, and conflict resolution and prevention.
As a Project Officer at SGD Uganda, I help youth engage in democracy and defending human rights by developing, managing, and implementing education and civil engagement projects among Ugandan students. I build partnerships with civil society organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies to promote youth civic participation.
U.S. ANTI-CORRUPTION UPDATE
 
Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) Passed
We mentioned this in our last newsletter, but it is worth repeating. In December 2023, the United States passed the bipartisan Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA).

The FEPA gives the U.S. Government the authority to criminally prosecute any foreign official who demands or accepts a bribe from any American or American company, anywhere in the world. Like the proposed IACC, the FEPA will increase the credible threat of prosecution against kleptocrats.

To learn more about FEPA, watch the following event at Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) co-organized by Elaine Dezenski, III Board Member and Senior Director of FDD's Center on Economic and Financial Power.
UPCOMING EVENTS
On May 22, you can stream a discussion about the IACC organized by Botswana Centre for Public Integrity at 10:00 am EDT / 4:00 pm CAT and CEST.
In the coming months, the III team will be attending the following and more:

Beyond Bretton Woods at Middlebury College, Vermont
May 2-4

The UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi, Kenya
May 9-10
  • The conference will feature a workshop on the IACC proposal. Speakers will include Don Deya, CEO of the Pan African Lawyers Union; Sheila Masinde, Executive Director of TI Kenya; Maja Groff, III Senior Treaty Advisor; Rebecca Shoot, Executive Director of Citizens for Global Solutions; and more.
The International Bar Association (IBA) Anti-Corruption Committee Conference at the OECD in Paris, France
June 12-13
  • Speakers on the IACC will include Susan Lamb, a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Belize with extensive experience at international tribunals.
The African Union Mid-Year Summit in Accra, Ghana
Dates TBD

Transparency International's International Anti-Corruption Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania
June 18-21

THE IACC IN THE NEWS

Goldstone calls for International Anti-Corruption Court
Primedia+, April 15, 2024
By John Maytham

An international court with teeth needed to combat global scourge of grand corruption
Daily Maverick, April 11, 2024 
By Justice Richard Goldstone, Paul Hoffman, and Ian Lynch

Brasil apoiará a criação do Tribunal Internacional Anticorrupção? (Will Brazil support the creation of the International Anti-Corruption Court?)
Interesse Nacional, April 5, 2024
By Leopoldo Pagotto

Creating an International Anti-Corruption Court with Judge Mark Wolf
Building the Future: Center for Strategic & International Studies, March 25, 2024
By Dan Runde
Contribute to Integrity Initiatives International

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The mission of Integrity Initiatives International is to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter leaders who are corrupt and regularly violate human rights.

The Board of Integrity Initiatives International: Judge Mark Wolf, Chair; Judge Claudia Escobar, Vice-Chair; Justice Richard Goldstone, Vice-Chair; Robert Rotberg, Vice-Chair; Farid Rohani, Treasurer; Elaine Dezenski, Secretary; Robert Abernethy; Charles Adeogun-Phillips; Landon Butler; Geoffrey Cowan;  Jonathan Fanton; Ambassador Robert Gelbard; Paul Hoffman; Serena Ibrahim; Peter MacKay; Fidelis Magalhães; Julia Makayova; Nicco Mele; Mary Page; Governor Deval Patrick; Jill Schuker; José Ugaz; and Col (ret) Yevgeny Vindman.

Integrity Initiatives International is a fiscally sponsored organization of Third Sector New England, Inc. (TSNE).
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Issue 10: “Fighting Grand Corruption - What’s Next?” February 2024

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Welcome to the tenth 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.
The last few months were busy for III. Read on to learn more about:
  • recent advocacy efforts for creation of the International Anti-Corruption Court,
  • the 10th Session of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) Conference of States Parties (COSP10),
  • anti-corruption progress in the U.S.,
  • the quarterly spotlight on a member of III's Youth Leaders Network,
  • the new IACC Youth Talk Series,
  • and media coverage of our work around the world.
Also, we are hiring a Special Assistant. Click here to learn more and apply.
 
Contribute to Integrity Initiatives International

INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION COURT (IACC) ADVOCACY

United Kingdom
In November 2023, III Chair Judge Mark Wolf of the United States, Board Members Charles Adeogun-Phillips of Nigeria and Fidelis Magalhães of Timor-Leste, and Managing Director Ian Lynch traveled to London to engage with civil society, legal experts, and political leaders.
The III team met with UK Labour Party's Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP and Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry MP, who expressed their strong interest in working with III to advance creation of the International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC). In a 2023 speech at the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, Lammy stated that Labour would back creation of an IACC. Read more here.
Lord Peter Hain (Labour) organized a multi-stakeholder briefing (pictured below) on the IACC attended by more than a dozen MPs and Peers from all major political parties, as well as over 20 individuals from civil society. Judge Wolf and Ian Lynch also attended the Magnitsky Awards Dinner, where they engaged with activists, diplomats, and journalists, including Nico Hines, World Editor of the Daily Beast, who wrote this essay about Judge Wolf and the IACC campaign.
III's November advocacy trip to London has generated further discussion of the IACC in the UK. Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, Lord David Alton, and Bianca Jagger signed the IACC Declaration. In December 2023, Lord Alton (crossbench), a fierce advocate for human rights, asked the government to support for the establishment of an IACC. Read Lord Alton's question and the government's answer here.

In January 2024, John Penrose MP (Conservative), the former Prime Minister's Anti-Corruption Champion, asked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak whether the government would take the lead in creating the IACC. In a shift from previous government responses to the IACC idea, Prime Minister Sunak responded that the Foreign Secretary, Lord David Cameron, would look at the proposal in detail. Watch their exchange below. The III team will return to London to advocate for the IACC in March 2024.
In November 2023, Judge Wolf also joined Burhan Sönmez, President of PEN International and IACC advocate, to give a talk at the University of Cambridge titled 'Why Corrupt Rulers Suppress Free Speech and What to Do About It'. The talk focused on highlighting the nexus between corruption and human rights abuse.
South Africa
On December 8, 2023, Lord Hain gave a speech at a conference for International Anti-Corruption Day organized by the South African government. He called on the government to take more effective action to combat corruption and to support creation of an IACC. You can read an edited version of his speech here.
In December 2023, South African NGO Defend Our Democracy interviewed III Vice Chair Justice Richard Goldstone about the IACC. Watch the webinar:  Will an International Anti-Corruption Court curb grand scale corruption and state capture?
Lord Hain, a prominent anti-apartheid leader who know campaigns against corruption, gave another speech about the IACC in January 2024 at the University of Cape Town. You can read about the event here. Lord Hain and Justice Goldstone's advocacy events have provided a platform for the growing multi-stakeholder movement for the IACC in South Africa, with III's partner Koogan Pillay, Co-Chair of the Africa Subcommittee for the IACC Campaign, playing an important coordinating role. With elections approaching in May, IACC advocates are pushing for candidates to support creation of the proposed Court.

Pillay and his fellow Africa Subcommittee members are planning IACC advocacy in approximately 10 additional African nations, including several where elections offer opportunities to raise awareness about the proposed Court and pursue commitments from African leaders to work towards its creation. III will continue to prioritize advocacy in Africa throughout 2024.
New York
In November 2023, the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College hosted a briefing and roundtable on the IACC for Permanent Representatives to the UN and their deputies from a dozen countries. Judge Navi Pillay of South Africa and Ambassador Bob Rae, Canadian Permanent Representative to the UN, joined Judge Wolf in providing the opening remarks. The briefing resulted in ongoing discussions with officials from several countries.

In December 2023, Judge Wolf returned to New York for meetings with the Ukrainian and Moldovan Permanent Representatives to the UN. They discussed the IACC and how III can continue its work supporting the development of national level anti-corruption capacity in each country. In April 2024, III will host several Ukrainian High Anti-Corruption Court judges in Boston.
World Liberty Congress
In November 2023, III Managing Director Ian Lynch traveled to Vilnius, Lithuania to attend the World Liberty Congress, a gathering of pro-democracy activists from about 60 countries, as well as the high-level Future of Democracy Forum hosted by the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The World Liberty Congress will provide a collective action platform for dissidents to push back against authoritarianism and connect with other activists. The founders invited Lynch to help facilitate a workshop session on how to organize advocacy efforts in capitals around the world, including for the IACC proposal. III looks forward to continuing to support the activists of the Congress.
International Bar Association Annual Conference 
At the 2023 International Bar Association Annual Conference in Paris, Justice Richard Goldstone presented the IACC on a spotlight panel organized and moderated by Baroness Helena Kennedy KC.

Read more about the panel here (on page 3).
Left to right: Sir Howard Morrison KC, Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, Justice Richard Goldstone and UK Attorney General Victoria Prentis KC
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
At the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly in Yerevan, Armenia in November 2023, Member of the Norwegian Parliament Mahmoud Farahmand delivered remarks urging for creation of the IACC. Click the image below to listen to his remarks.

UN CONVENTION AGAINST CORRUPTION (UNCAC) CONFERENCE OF STATES PARTIES (COSP10)

Press Release 

Marking the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in December, 2023, Integrity Initiatives International (III) and Club de Madrid called on governments to do more to enforce the laws the convention requires of its member states, including by working towards the creation of an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC) that would serve as a de facto enforcement mechanism of the UNCAC. Read the press release here:
Side Events & Panels 
At the UNCAC COSP10, the IACC was featured in three discussion panels organized by Integrity Initiatives International, HEDA Resource Centre, Citizens for Global Solution (CGS), and the Carter Center. 
On December 11, 2023, CGS hosted an an event, 'From Support to Governance: Global Anti-Corruption Pathways'. The event considered how lessons learned may be applied in global judicial terms, including at a standing and specialized IACC.
On December 12, 2023, The Carter Center hosted Special Side Events to complement the UNCAC COSP10. The III- and CGS-organized panel 'Multifaceted Approaches: Toward An Anti-Corruption Court', discussed cooperation among and assistance between States on investigative and prosecutorial strategies to combat corruption.
On December 12, 2023, the HEDA Resource Centre hosted an event on 'Addressing the Enforcement Gap'. The event examined the potential of proposals for national, regional, and international enforcement institutions to address this gap, including the IACC.

Open Letters 

III, alongside over 110 civil society organizations, signed the Atlanta Civil Society Declaration at the conclusion of the UNCAC COSP10. Read the declaration here. 

The Government Accountability Project brought anti-corruption groups together to support a resolution on whistleblower protection at COSP10. Read the letter to government delegations signed by III and more than 100 additional civil society organizations here. 
U.S. ANTI-CORRUPTION UPDATE
 
Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) Passed
In December 2023, U.S. President Biden signed into law the landmark, bipartisan Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA).

The FEPA gives the U.S. Government the authority to criminally prosecute any foreign official who demands or accepts a bribe from any American or American company, anywhere in the world.

Like the proposed IACC, the FEPA will increase the credible threat of prosecution against kleptocrats. This will help deter corruption around the world and level the playing field for ethical corporations that currently face extortion when working in countries with high levels of corruption.
Former III Board Member Tom Firestone long provided thought leadership on the FEPA and current III Board Member Elaine Dezenski worked closely with Transparency International U.S. and the rest of the civil society coalition that successfully advocated for the FEPA. Lending its support to the bill, III signed multiple civil society letters in support of passing the FEPA over the past three years.
For more on the new law, listen to Frank Brown interview Tom Firestone and Scott Greytak, Director of Advocacy at Transparency International U.S., about FEPA on the Democracy that Delivers podcast.

Beneficial Ownership Information Registry Rules
In recent years, III supported efforts by Transparency International U.S., the FACT Coalition, and dozens of other civil society organizations calling for the creation of a U.S. beneficial ownership registry to help counter the webs of shell companies that kleptocrats use to conceal their illicit wealth.

Passed at the end of 2021, the Corporate Transparency Act mandated the creation of the U.S. Beneficial Ownership Information Registry. Initial rules crafted to implement the law fell short of global standards. In April 2022, III signed the letter organized by Transparency International U.S. to the U.S. government highlighting lessons learned in other countries to inform effective implementation of the U.S. registry.

Taking into account the comments from civil society, the U.S. registry was launched in January 2024. Read more about the U.S. Beneficial Ownership Information Registry here. 

The Expanding Whistleblower Protection for Contractors Act
In October 2023, III joined the over 160 civil society organizations that signed a letter organized by the Government Accountability Project calling on Congress to modernize and strengthen legal protections for federal government contractor and grantee whistleblowers by passing the Expanding Whistleblower Protection for Contractors Act. More work is needed to pass this important law.
VOICES FROM III'S YOUTH LEADERS NETWORK
In Northern Nigeria, the Young Leaders Network (YLN), a member organization in III’s Youth Leaders Network, works to boost the human capital base of young people, empowering them to steer positive and sustainable development in their communities.

YLN believes that governance, especially at the grassroots, must be transparent, accountable, and inclusive. Thus, YLN has over the past 5 years equipped young people from over 60 communities with leadership, political participation, and advocacy skills to hold their elected officials to their promises and the democratic ideals of accountability, transparency, and responsiveness.
To foster transparent and corruption-free governance, YLN also conducts capacity-building training for elected government officials about citizen-centered governance and legislation. YLN's “Citizens-Legislators Forum” serves as a platform where elected representatives dialogue with their constitutes on their community needs and score their performance. 
More about YLN's work can be found on their website: 
https://youngleadersnet.org
IACC YOUTH TALK SERIES
Join III each final Wednesday of the month for the IACC Youth Talk Series, a series dedicated to empowering global youth voices in the campaign for an IACC. Each talk features different speakers discussing a range of topics related to the campaign for the establishment of an IACC. Join us for the next IACC Youth Talk on Wednesday, February 28, 2024. Register in advance here.
Watch the kickoff of the IACC Youth Talk Series from January 2024. The episodes are shared in audio format to make them more accessible to audiences in parts of the world with limited internet connectivity.
WE ARE HIRING
Special Assistant to the Chair 
 
We are looking to hire a Special Assistant to the Chair of III, Judge Mark Wolf, to work full-time in Boston, Massachusetts beginning in June.

The Special Assistant to the Chair of III is a unique opportunity for a new or recent graduate to gain experience working closely with III’s board and partners, who include leading international jurists, former cabinet ministers, and civil society leaders, among other prominent individuals from around the world.

Note: we are only able to consider applicants with U.S. work authorization.

Learn more about the position and apply here.

THE IACC IN THE NEWS
Busa should manage some of its expectations of govt more carefully 
politicsweb, February 9, 2024
By Paul Hoffman 

The world urgently needs an international anti-corruption court
Mail&Guardian, February 7, 2024
By Prosper S. Maguchu
Call for international anti-corruption court: Adv Paul Hoffman 
 
SABC News, January 31, 2024
A clash of values deprives SA of capacity to counter serious corruption 
politicsweb, January 30, 2024
By Paul Hoffman

SA should lead global campaign to establish International Anti-Corruption Court — Peter Hain
Daily Maverick, January 28, 2024
By Peter Fabricius

Peter Hain: Bring looters to justice with an International Anti-Corruption Court
BizNews, January 25, 2024
By Chris Steyn
John Penrose MP asks the UK Prime Minister for his thoughts on an International Anti-corruption Court.

January 25, 2024
Rights of citizens over recovered proceeds of corruption should be strengthened, says Olaniyan
  •  Dr. Kolawole Olaniyan discusses the IACC in his new book, Ownership of Proceeds of Corruption in International Law.
The Guardian Nigeria, January 9, 2024
By Gordi Udeajah, Umuahia

Suraju: We are yet to see how much of what Nigeria gained from COP28
New Telegraph, December 18, 2023 
By Success Nwogu

HEDA, Club De Madrid Tackle Global Corruption Grand Corruption at CoSP10 
New Telegraph, December 17, 2023
By Success Nwogu

‘Whitey’ Bulger Judge Needed Security After ‘Perceived Threat’ From the FBI
Daily Beast, December 14, 2023
By Nico Hines
Urgent action needed: SA takes a stand against corruption, calls for global cooperation
BizNews, December 8, 2023
By Lord Peter Hain 
It takes two to tango – Businesses have also been culpable in dishonesty, looting and bringing SA to its knees
Daily Maverick, December 8, 2023
By Lord Peter Hain

Anti-graft summit — ‘Intensity of fighting apartheid must be harnessed to fight scourge of SA corruption’
Daily Maverick, December 8, 2023 
By Nonkululeko Njilo

Presidente do Tribunal Supremo diz que Angola dá garantias de mais justiça (President of the Supreme Court says that Angola provides guarantees of more justice)
Jornal de Angola, November 6, 2023
By Jornal de Angola

'Should jurisdiction for the most grievous of crimes be universal'? - The case for an IACC at the IBA Annual Conference in Paris, p. 3
Daily News, November 1, 2023 
By The International Bar Association 

The 2024 election gives voters the chance to take a united stand against corruption
Daily Maverick, October 23, 2023
By Paul Hoffman

CACOL Backs Establishment of International Anti-Corruption Court
The Will, October 15, 2023
By Ayo Esan

Tribunal internacional anticorrupção (International anti-corruption court)
Poder360, October 10, 2023
By Roberto Livianu
Contribute to Integrity Initiatives International

Follow III:
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The mission of Integrity Initiatives International is to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter leaders who are corrupt and regularly violate human rights.

The Board of Integrity Initiatives International: Judge Mark Wolf, Chair; Judge Claudia Escobar, Vice-Chair; Justice Richard Goldstone, Vice-Chair; Robert Rotberg, Vice-Chair; Farid Rohani, Treasurer; Elaine Dezenski, Secretary; Robert Abernethy; Charles Adeogun-Phillips; Landon Butler; Geoffrey Cowan;  Jonathan Fanton; Ambassador Robert Gelbard; Tara Giunta; Paul Hoffman; Serena Ibrahim; Peter MacKay; Fidelis Magalhães; Julia Makayova; Nicco Mele; Mary Page; Governor Deval Patrick; Jill Schuker; José Ugaz; and Col (ret) Yevgeny Vindman.

Integrity Initiatives International is a fiscally sponsored organization of Third Sector New England, Inc. (TSNE).
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Issue 9: “Attorney General, Presidential Candidate, More Call For Int'l Anti-Corruption Court,” October 2023

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Welcome to the ninth 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.
The last few months were busy for III. Read on to learn more about:
  • the expanding advocacy efforts for the IACC in Africa,
  • the launch of the International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC) model treaty drafting project,
  • a new special law journal issue on the IACC,
  • the quarterly spotlight on a member of III's Youth Leaders Network,
  • and an update on important U.S. anti-corruption legislation.
Contribute to Integrity Initiatives International

INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION COURT

Africa Advocacy
On October 10, Nigerian NGO HEDA Resource Centre organized its 33rd Anti-Corruption Situation Room in collaboration with III. The day long hybrid event in Abuja explored the existing international mechanisms used to combat grand corruption and ideas for new institutions, including the IACC.
The guest of honor, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi SAN, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Nigeria, lent his support for the creation of the IACC. He said, "The idea of an IACC represents a paradigm shift in our approach to combating corruption at the international level," and that the court's creation "would send a powerful message that corruption will not be tolerated anywhere in the world."
 
Aminata Touré, Prime Minister of Senegal (2013-2014) and member of Club de Madrid gave the keynote speech. She emphasized that corruption is a transnational issue that requires an international response, including the Club de Madrid-supported project for the creation of an IACC.
Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers, who leverage their individual and collective leadership experience and global reach to strengthen inclusive democratic practice and improve the well-being of people around the world.
David Ogungbesan, Legal Officer at HEDA Resource Centre, joined PRIMORG's Public Conscience on Radio program to discuss the dialogue about advocacy for the IACC in Nigeria.

On October 9, Justice Richard Goldstone, Vice Chair of III, delivered remarks on the need for an IACC at the Interfaith Forum in South Africa. Read Justice Goldstone's full remarks here.
On August 9, Justice Goldstone delivered the keynote speech at the Transparency International (TI) Africa Regional Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. Justice Goldstone spoke about how establishment of an IACC would complement the TI movement's many important anti-corruption initiatives. Read his full remarks here.
Justice Goldstone (center) was 
encouraged by the passion, expertise, and vision of the TI representatives including Karam Singh (Corruption Watch South Africa, left), Ke Rafitoson
(TI Madagascar, second to the left), and Lovania Pertab (TI Mauritius,
second to the right), as well as Koogan Pillay (Leaders for Integrity, right).
Building on the growing activity of the IACC Campaign in Africa, III has established the first regional sub-committee for the campaign. The new sub-committee is co-chaired by Olanrewaju Suraju (Nigeria), the Chair of HEDA Resource Centre, and Koogan Pillay (South Africa), the Founder of Leaders for Integrity. Additional members of the committee hail from Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Mauritius. The subcommittee will meet monthly to discuss the coordination of IACC-related engagements in Africa and ensure the African perspective is situated at the core of the IACC Campaign.
 

IACC Model Treaty
In August, leading international jurists, lawyers, scholars, and anti-corruption experts from all around the world gathered at The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany for the first meeting of the IACC model treaty drafting project. The draft model treaty, forthcoming in 2024, will provide a basis for public discussion among states, civil society, and the private sector on how to create an effective IACC.
Chaired by Justice Richard Goldstone, former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and III Senior Treaty Advisor Maja Groff, the participants included:
  • Charles Adeogun-Phillips of Nigeria, Former Head of Special Investigations at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
  • Mónica Castillejos-Aragón of Mexico, Former Senior Legal Advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers
  • Leopoldo Pagotto of Brazil, Co-Chair of the Anti-Corruption Committee of the International Bar Association
  • Iffat Rahman of Bangladesh, Ambassador for the African Bar Association
  • Justice Maria Wilson of Trinidad and Tobago, Justice of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago
Click to watch Allan Rock, former Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General, speak on the need for an IACC and progress made at the IACC model treaty drafting meeting in Hamburg.
The discussions in Hamburg emphasized the importance of extensive involvement of stakeholders from the Global South in the drafting process to ensure the IACC is fit for purpose and serves all global regions.
The IACC will prosecute corrupt public officials and their co-conspirators, including companies and individuals who pay bribes and those involved in the laundering of illegal assets. This includes bankers, lawyers, and real estate agents, many of whom operate from the financial hubs found primarily in the Global North.
Discussions in Hamburg also focused how the IACC can use criminal and civil proceedings to seize and then return or repurpose stolen assets to improve the well-being of the populations victimized by grand corruption - who are predominantly found in the Global South. 
Read more about the expert meeting in the recent letter to the Financial Times by Justice Goldstone here.
 

Special Law Journal Issue on the IACC

On September 25th, the Transnational Criminal Law Review (TCLR) published a Special Issue, Symposium on the Proposal to Create an International Anti-Corruption Court (Vol. 2 No. 1). With six articles covering a range of topics, from what law the court should apply to recovering assets to corporate liability, this special issue explores multiple important facets of the proposed IACC that the expert group organized by III is working on. 
VOICES FROM III'S YOUTH LEADERS NETWORK
III Youth Leaders Network (YLN) member Kimia Rahbar, former U.S. Congressional staffer and Iranian American, is spearheading the Youth Liberty Alliance (YLA), the new youth branch of the World Liberty Congress (WLC), alongside Russian anti-war activist and student Liza Volkova. 

The YLA aims to institutionalize the first-ever global pro-democracy youth network and movement by providing young activists worldwide with the essential tools, resources, and opportunities to advance their advocacy. 
The idea developed during an internship with the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee last fall, when Kimia met Liza (second and first from the right respectively at the Oslo Freedom Forum 2023). The two quickly realized not only the importance of youth participation in the global fight for democracy and human rights, but also the necessity to bridge the gap between pro-democracy activists within autocratic regimes and those leading movements within diaspora communities in the free world.
Now, Kimia and Liza working with other WLC staff, partnering organizations, and individual democracy advocates to launch the initial YLA gathering in November, in Vilnius, Lithuania, where nearly thirty youth leaders will meet under an action-oriented agenda to stand against autocracy.

HIRING: YOUTH LEADERS NETWORK COORDINATOR
Many young activists around the world are interested in participating in the IACC campaign. III’s rapidly growing Youth Leaders Network (YLN) provides a means for them to do so. The YLN also provides a platform for peer-peer learning and support as its members faces the risks and challenges of doing the often lonely and dangerous work of combating corruption in countries such as Venezuela, Lebanon, Russia, and Uganda. The YLN is also a laboratory for developing joint projects with its members.

To build on the momentum behind the YLN, III is seeking a part-time (15 hours per week), temporary (3 months) YLN Coordinator, with the possibility of extension and expansion of the role. Application deadline: October 26

It is important to note that III is only able to consider applicants with U.S. work authorization. To learn more about the position and apply click here.

U.S. ANTI-CORRUPTION LEGISLATION

U.S. Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA)
The proposed U.S. Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA), a bipartisan bill, would allow U.S. law enforcement to prosecute foreign officials for demanding or accepting bribes from American individuals, companies, or any entity listed on a U.S.-based stock exchange, even if the demand does not occur within the United States.

The legislation aims to align U.S. anti-bribery laws with those of other democracies and strengthen ethical business practices, promoting American democratic values over corruption-driven foreign influence. III signed the letter of support for FEPA organized by Transparency International U.S. 

Elaine Dezenski, Secretary of the III Board, wrote in The Hill arguing for FEPA. Dezenski emphasizes that corruption has far-reaching consequences, including funds flowing into the U.S., impacting American democracy, and fueling conflicts and human rights abuses in other countries. 
 

Expanding Whistleblower Protections
III has joined 130 other groups calling on the U.S. Congress to pass the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act, which would ensure that government contractors and grantees, who are in the best position to fight against fraud, waste and abuse, have working protections to blow the whistle. Read the letter to Congress organized by the Government Accountability Project here.

THE IACC IN THE NEWS
CACOL Backs Establishment of International Anti-Corruption Court
The Will, October 15, 2023
By Ayo Esan

HEDA Drums Support For Establishment of Global Anti-Corruption Court 
FOREFRONT NG, October 12, 2023

Leaders seek global approach to anti-corruption campaign
The Nation, October 11, 2023 
By Gbade Ogunwale

'$100bn stolen from Africa yearly'
Punch NG, October 11, 2023
By Friday Olokor
  • "The participants who called for the creation of an African Network of the Friends of International Anti-Corruption Court to be led by HEDA, commended the HEDA Resource Centre for its commitment to the fight against corruption at great risk to its officials while the MacArthur Foundation and the Integrity Initiative International were deeply appreciated for their support."
FG considering special anti-graft court, says AGF 
Punch NG, October 11, 2023
By Friday Olokor

FG to establish intl' anti-graft court to recover stolen funds abroad, says AGF
The Guardian Nigeria, October 11, 2023
By Sodiq Omolaoye

AGF, HEDA, others push for Int'l Anti-Corruption Court for Nigeria
Vanguard, October 10, 2023
By Ezra Ukanwa

Anti-Corruption Court Will Enable Nigeria Tackle High-Profile Cases, Recover Property Abroad - Attorney-General, Fagbemi
Sahara Reports, October 10, 2023

Justice Goldstone's Remarks to the Interfaith Forum on Corruption
IFAISA Accountability Now, October 9, 2023
By Justice Richard Goldstone

Work on draft treaty for specialised global corruption court commences
FT ADVISER, September 28, 2023
By Maria Cronin, Craig Hogg and Charlotte Dormon

Por que precisamos de um Tribunal Internacional Anticorrupção? (Why do we need an International Anti-Corruption Court?) 
Estadão, September 27, 2023
By Leopoldo Pagotto

Interview on the International Anti-Corruption Court
Global News, September 25, 2023 
By Allan Rock

Letter: An anti-corruption court cannot just serve the west
Financial Times, September 24, 2023 
By Justice Richard Goldstone

Growing SA support for global anti-graft court
Mail & Guardian, September 23, 2023
By Lyse Comins

Letter: Justice requires states to match words with action on corruption
Financial Times, August 23, 2023
By Frank Vogl

International Anti-Corruption Court needed now to clamp down on global white-collar crime.
Daily Maverick, August 16, 2023
By Lord Peter Hain PC

The time for instituting a new global corruption court is now.
Financial Times, August 15, 2023
By Lord Peter Hain PC

Why a federal judge is pushing for an international anti-corruption court.
Washington Post, August 7, 2023
By Max Boot

Survey shows global approval for the establishment of International Anti-Corruption Court
Daily Maverick, August 1, 2023
By Justice Richard Goldstone and Paul Hoffman
Contribute to Integrity Initiatives International

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The mission of Integrity Initiatives International is to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter leaders who are corrupt and regularly violate human rights.

The Board of Integrity Initiatives International: Judge Mark Wolf, Chair; Judge Claudia Escobar, Vice-Chair; Justice Richard Goldstone, Vice-Chair; Robert Rotberg, Vice-Chair; Farid Rohani, Treasurer; Elaine Dezenski, Secretary; Robert Abernethy; Charles Adeogun-Phillips; Landon Butler; Geoffrey Cowan; Diana Eggleston; Jonathan Fanton; Ambassador Robert Gelbard; Tara Giunta; Paul Hoffman; Serena Ibrahim; Peter MacKay; Fidelis Magalhães; Julia Makayova; Nicco Mele; Mary Page; Governor Deval Patrick; Jill Schuker; José Ugaz; and Col (ret) Yevgeny Vindman.

Integrity Initiatives International is a fiscally sponsored organization of Third Sector New England, Inc. (TSNE).
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Issue 8: “UK Labour Party Backs Int'l Anti-Corruption Court,” July 2023

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Welcome to the eighth 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.
On July 10, UK Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a speech at the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law that the Labour party would support the establishment of an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC) “designed to prosecute the most egregious acts of corruption”. You can read more in Patrick Wintour's article about the speech in The Guardian.

III WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Charles Adeogun-Phillips is former lead International Prosecutor and Head of Special Investigations at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda; former Special Prosecutor, Federal Republic of Nigeria; Partner at Charles Anthony (Lawyers) LLP in Lagos; and Barrister at Guernica 37 Chambers in London and The Hague.
Diana Eggleston is Business Advisor Impact Economy & NGOs at The Hague & Partners. She leads the international program to attract purpose-driven businesses and NGOs to The Hague. She also serves as a Trustee and Secretary at the Resilient Foundation.
Serena Ibrahim is the founder of YAC–Youth Against Corruption in Lebanon. She is a consultant for sustainability and smart cities projects. She serves on the Integrity Advisory Board of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's GRACE Initiative.
Peter Gordon MacKay PC KC served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2013–2015), Minister of National Defence (2007–2013), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2006–2007) in the Cabinet of Canada under Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Fidelis Leite Magalhães served as the President of the Council of Ministers of Timor-Leste (2020-2023), Minister for Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs (2018-2020), and, concurrently, he acted as Timor-Leste’s Chief Negotiator at the World Trade Organization and as Chair of the Sixth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development.
Yevgeny Vindman is a retired U.S. Army Colonel who previously served as the Deputy Legal Adviser on the White House National Security Council. He currently serves as Director of Military Analysis at the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group set up by the U.S., EU, and UK to assist with war crimes investigations in Ukraine.
 

INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION COURT

United Kingdom
Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy's strong statement of support for the IACC in July followed two recent debates in the House of Lords on the IACC led by Lord Peter Hain. The debates found cross-party support from Lord Jonny Oates, Baroness Patience Wheatcroft, Baroness Ros Altmann, Baroness Janet Whitaker, and Baroness Natalie Bennett, among others. You can watch the May debate on the IACC in the House of Lords here and you can read more about Lord Hain's efforts in this article by Patrick Wintour in The Guardian.

Below, you can watch Lord Hain's recent discussion of the IACC on SABC News in South Africa.
In June, III Chair Judge Mark Wolf (pictured center) and new III board member Charles Adeogun-Phillips (pictured right) provided a briefing on the IACC to UK MPs and Peers. The briefing was organized by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax. 
Maria Nizzero, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute, participated in the briefing. III board member Farid Rohani of Canada (pictured left) also attended.

While in London, Judge Wolf, III staff, and partners had additional meetings with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre, civil society, and journalists.

There will be further debate on the IACC in the UK in the Fall of 2023.

Global Governance Survey 2023
Published in June, the Global Governance Innovation Network found in its Global Governance Survey 2023 that substantial majorities in all of the Group of 7 (the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, and Japan) and the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) countries support the creation of an IACC.
The Global Governance Innovation Network is a partnership of the Stimson Center, the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), Plataforma CIPÓ, and Leiden University.

InterAction Council:
The Malta Declaration on Multilateral Solutions For a Better Future
In May, the InterAction Council, whose members have held the highest offices in their countries, held its 37th Plenary meeting in Malta.
Allan Rock, former Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and Hans Corell, former Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and the Legal Counsel of the United Nations, attended the meeting to present on the IACC.

The Council produced the Malta Declaration, which calls on the Member States of the United Nations to commit to reenergizing a collective response to the multiple crises facing the world by following ten recommendations, including:
  • "Establishing an International Anti-Corruption Court to hold to account those responsible for grand corruption and repatriate their assets to the people they have stolen from."

American Academy of Arts and Sciences: 
Measuring Grand Corruption and Reducing Its Power
Photo courtesy of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
In May, III's partners at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the World Refugee and Migration Council (WRMC) hosted a three-day conference on new ideas to measure grand corruption and to counter it. III Vice Chair Robert Rotberg and WRMC President Fen Osler Hampson co-chaired the meeting.
Among the participants were members of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC Campaign, including Laode Syarif, Executive Director of Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia (KEMITRAAN) and former Commissioner of Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), and Slagjana Taseva, Chair of Transparency International Macedonia, pictured left to right with III Managing Director and Program Director Ian Lynch.
The conference was the fourth event in a series of anti-corruption meetings hosted by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in recent years.

The third event in the series, held in May 2022, produced latest comprehensive paper on the IACC by III Chair Judge Mark Wolf and III Vice Chairs Justice Richard Goldstone and Robert Rotberg:

The Progressing Proposal for An International Anti-Corruption Court

VOICES FROM III'S YOUTH LEADERS NETWORK
by Una Clara Sigheti - Member of the Leaders for Justice (LfJ) Community, Romania

The Leaders for Justice (LfJ) Community in Romania brings together 270 legal professionals in service of a better system of justice and a better world. Its aim is to promote and strengthen the values of the rule of law: equality before the law, integrity, accountability and transparency in decision-making.

As a member of the LfJ Community, I initiated Eroi Discreți, 'Silent Heroes', a project about integrity, which consists of ten episodes and a feature documentary film telling the story of the 'heroes' who stood up for their values and acted with integrity when faced with difficult circumstances. The aim of the project is to inspire people to become more civically engaged and to act ethically, by providing them with positive examples and role models. Episodes have been featured in the One World Romania Documentary Film Festival in 2021 and the 'People of Justice' live shows in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

You can watch the episode on Bogdan Ivănel, founder and CEO of Code for Romania, and learn more about the project on our Facebook page.

IN THE NEWS
Lord Peter Hain wants UK to back establishment of an international anti-corruption court.
SABC News Full View, July 10, 2023

UK has given Russia and China ‘ammunition’ to breach international law — Lammy.
Independent, July 10, 2023
By Patrick Daly
  • "The senior Opposition politician also said his party would support the establishment of an international anti-corruption court in a move “designed to prosecute the most egregious acts of corruption”."
UK turns down Lord Peter Hain’s appeal to back an international anti-corruption court.
Daily Maverick, July 9, 2023
By Peter Fabricious
  • "Hain is ‘very disappointed’ as money laundering costs over 5% of global GDP, and Baroness Janet Whitaker told the House of Lords last week that a recent survey indicated that 70% of those polled in the G7 and BRICS countries – accounting for the majority of the world’s population – had supported the establishment of an international anti-corruption court."
  • UK Deputy Foreign Minister Tariq Ahmad "said international corruption was an ever-evolving challenge and the government continued to work on that. The idea of an IACC “was not totally off the table”."
Labour will back global anti-corruption court, David Lammy to say.
The Guardian, July 9, 2023
By Patrick Wintour

Fernando Iglesias on the Fight Against Organized Crime in Latin America
On June 21, Augusto Lopez-Claros, Executive Director of the Global Governance Forum and Co-Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC campaign, interviewed Fernando Iglesias, a member of Parliament in Argentina and the Director of the Campaign for a Latin American and Caribbean Criminal Court Against Transnational Organized Crime (COPLA).
Mr. Iglesias said the proposed COPLA and the proposed IACC would be complementary institutions. Click here to listen to the interview on The Global Governance Podcast.
Do we need an International Anti-Corruption Court?
JUSTICIA EN LAS AMÉRICAS, June 21, 2023
by Daniel Kempken
  • His article can also be read in German on page 14 of Transparency International Germany's newsletter and it is forthcoming in Spanish on the Justicia en Las Américas blog from the Due Process of Law Foundation.
Calls for an anti-corruption court urged.
The Zimbabwe Mail, May 14, 2023
by Brenna Matendere
 
Contribute to Integrity Initiatives International

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The mission of Integrity Initiatives International is to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter leaders who are corrupt and regularly violate human rights.

The Board of Integrity Initiatives International: Judge Mark Wolf, Chair; Judge Claudia Escobar, Vice-Chair; Justice Richard Goldstone, Vice-Chair; Robert Rotberg, Vice-Chair; Farid Rohani, Treasurer; Elaine Dezenski, Secretary; Robert Abernethy; Charles Adeogun-Phillips; Landon Butler; Geoffrey Cowan; Diana Eggleston; Jonathan Fanton; Ambassador Robert Gelbard; Tara Giunta; Paul Hoffman; Serena Ibrahim; Peter MacKay; Fidelis Magalhães; Julia Makayova; Nicco Mele; Mary Page; Governor Deval Patrick; Jill Schuker; José Ugaz; and Col (ret) Yevgeny Vindman.
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Issue 7: “III Newsletter - President Sandu backs Int'l Anti-Corruption Court, cross-party support in the UK, & more,” May 2023

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Welcome to the seventh 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.

INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION COURT

United Kingdom
Yesterday, Lord Jonny Oates delivered a speech on behalf of Lord Peter Hain, the former Foreign Office minister, in the Lords Grand Committee on why the United Kingdom should support the creation of an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC).

Lord Hain - with cross-party support from Lady Patience Wheatcroft, Lady Ros Altmann, and Lord Oates - introduced an amendment to the economic crime bill that would require the UK government to back the court's establishment. You can watch the speech and the debate on the amendment using this link and navigating to timestamp 18:29:45 of the video. 

You can read more about Lord Hain's efforts in this article by Patrick Wintour in The Guardian.

Moldova
In March, President Maia Sandu made Moldova the fifth country in the past year and a half to make a commitment to working towards the creation of an IACC, joining Canada, Ecuador, the Netherlands, and Nigeria. She recently spoke about the need for the Court on Moldovan television (interview in Romanian).

European Parliament
In January, the European Parliament took a favorable stance on the International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC). Its annual resolution on human rights and democracy in the world (in paragraph 33):
  • "calls for the creation of an international anti-corruption court"
On March 20, the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights organized a workshop on the IACC in Brussels. III Chair Judge Mark Wolf (pictured above with III Senior Treaty Advisor Maja Groff after the workshop) and Juan Francisco Sandoval, a courageous prosecutor who served as Head of the Special Prosecutor's Office against Impunity in Guatemala, spoke about the need for an IACC. You can watch the workshop using this link and navigating to timestamp 17:02 of the video. 
For more background, you can read:
While in Brussels, the Co-Chairs of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC campaign - Judge Mark Wolf, Maja Groff, and Augusto Lopez-Claros - and III staff met with Members of the European Parliament who have signed the IACC Declaration including (pictured above in clockwise order): Professor Danuta Hübner of Poland, Mr. Thijs Reuten of the Netherlands, Mr. Fabio Massimo Castaldo of Italy, and Mr. Stelios Kouloglou of Greece, among others.
 

NATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION EFFORTS

Ukraine
Following a necessary pause in our activities in Ukraine due to Russia's illegal invasion, III will be engaging again in anti-corruption activities there in 2023. Effectively combatting corruption is critical to maintaining the international community's trust in Ukraine and to ensuring its recovery from the war.
In April, the III team attended Renew Democracy Initiative's Heroes of Democracy Gala. In the fight against authoritarianism, Renew Democracy Initiative (RDI) provides a platform for its global network of dissidents to promote democracy and the rule of law. III and RDI collaborate to support democracy and anti-corruption in Ukraine.

At the Gala, Judge Wolf met Oleksandra Matviichuk (left), who leads the Centre for Civil Liberties, which won the Nobel Peace Prize for its work documenting Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
In September, III will host a delegation of judges from Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) in Boston. III has been involved in successfully recommending international experts to serve on judicial selection committees in Ukraine and in mentoring HACC judges, both in person in Kyiv and virtually during the pandemic.
 

VOICES FROM III'S YOUTH LEADERS NETWORK
by Estefanía Medina, Esq. - Co-Founder of TOJIL, Mexico

We are a nonprofit organization led by female lawyers and our main objective is fighting corruption and impunity. We use strategic litigation to seek that every citizen and the country as a whole are recognized as victims of corruption. In addition, by collaborating with national institutions, Tojil develops and innovates in public policies so that our population can access justice.

One of our main projects is CHATBOT TEO.

TEO #YourOnlineLawyer is a chatbot in which you can report cases of corruption that will be referred to the Prosecutor's Offices for investigation. TEO is a secure and easily accessible reporting platform for #VictimsofCorruption. Your information is safe and can be treated anonymously if you wish. Use TEO.

Follow Tojil:
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IN THE NEWS
Putting an end to kleptocracy and recovering the assets stolen by corrupt leaders.
Daily Maverick, May 9, 2023
by Lord Peter Hain

Former minister urges UK to back international anti-corruption court.
The Guardian, May 8, 2023
by Patrick Wintour

Cedric Ryngaert on Why the World Needs an

International Anti-Corruption Court
In April, Augusto Lopez-Claros, Executive Director of the Global Governance Forum and Co-Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC campaign, interviewed Professor Cedric Ryngaert about the IACC on the Global Governance Podcast. Professor Ryngaert said that he sees the IACC "as a proposal to decolonize international criminal law". Click here to listen to the interview.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Interview with Judge Wolf
In March, Dragan Štavljanin interviewed Judge Mark Wolf for RFE/RL about potential mechanisms to prosecute high-level Russian leaders for atrocity crimes in Ukraine. They also discussed the proposal for an IACC. Click here to watch the interview.
 
Maia Sandu: „Pe cazurile de corupție mare este bine să avem și o Curte Anticorupție la nivel internațional”. (Romanian)
Maia Sandu: "It is good to have an Anti-Corruption Court at the international level to deal with major corruption cases". (English)
Radio Moldova, March 30, 2023
by Viorica Rusica

How to Jail the World’s Most Privileged Crooks.
Center for European Policy Analysis, March 28, 2023
by Krista Viksnins

Club de Madrid calls on World Leaders to Work Towards the Creation of an International Anti-Corruption Court.
Brussels Morning, March 17, 2023
by Club de Madrid

The Emerging Idea of an International Anti-Corruption Court.
Just Access, February 20, 2023
by Marija Chekredji

Corruption War: Nigeria Makes Case for International Anti-corruption Court.
This Day, January 24, 2023
by Alex Enumah
 

OPPORTUNITIES

We're Hiring: Program Associate
We are looking for an exceptional Program Associate to play an important role in advocacy for an IACC, supporting the work of the IACC treaty drafting process, and in designing and executing III's communications strategy.
 
Application deadline: May 21

Note that we can only consider applicants with U.S. work authorization.

International Bar Association Essay contest on the IACC
The International Bar Association (IBA) Anti-Corruption Committee is organizing an essay competition for young lawyers on the topic:
  • Do we need an International Anti-Corruption Court to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws against corrupt leaders?
The winner of the essay competition will be provided a scholarship to attend this year's IBA Annual Conference, held in Paris from October 29 to November 3. The scholarship includes: waiver of the conference registration fee, accommodation costs, travel expenses, and two years' free membership of the IBA.
 
Application deadline: May 31
 
For those interested, please find additional information and requirements regarding the scholarship using the link below. The International Anti-Corruption Court essay topic can be found under the Criminal Law Section.
 
Contribute to Integrity Initiatives International

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The mission of Integrity Initiatives International is to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter leaders who are corrupt and regularly violate human rights.

The Board of Integrity Initiatives International: Judge Mark Wolf, Chair; Judge Claudia Escobar, Vice-Chair; Justice Richard Goldstone, Vice-Chair; Robert Rotberg, Vice-Chair; Farid Rohani, Treasurer; Elaine Dezenski, Secretary; Robert Abernethy; Emil Bolongaita; Landon Butler; James Cottrell, Jr.; Geoffrey Cowan; Jonathan Fanton; Thomas Firestone; Ambassador Robert Gelbard; Tara Giunta; Paul Hoffman; Julia Makayova; Nicco Mele; Mary Page; Governor Deval Patrick; Jill Schuker; Dawn Smalls; José Ugaz; and Daniel Weintraub.
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Issue 6: “Nigeria calls for an Int’l Anti-Corruption Court (IACC)”, February 2023

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Welcome to the sixth 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.
At the end of 2022, there were several promising developments on the international stage for anti-corruption, including for the growing international campaign for the creation of an International Anti-Corruption Court. 2023 has kicked off with more progress. Nigeria has now joined Canada, Ecuador, and the Netherlands in supporting the creation of an IACC. Read more here.
The next stop for III is the Munich Security Conference on February 17, where we will host a discussion about the IACC. III Chair Judge Mark Wolf will be joined on the stage by Russian democracy activist Garry Kasparov, who is a signatory to the Declaration calling for the creation of the IACC and Founder and Chair of Renew Democracy Initiative, among other things. Nearly 300 world leaders from more than 80 countries have now signed the Declaration, including Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza from the confines of his unjust imprisonment in Russia.
III Chair Judge Mark Wolf is pictured left with Vladimir's wife Evgenia Kara-Murza at the Magnitsky Awards Dinner in November. Evgenia has taken up Vladimir's mantle advocating for political prisoners and for a free and democratic Russia. Click here to watch a screening of Vladimir's latest documentary My Duty to Not Stay Silent and discussion hosted by the Reagan Institute and the National Endowment for Democracy on February 1 in Washington, D.C.
Unfortunately, the end of 2022 also saw the rollback of some progress on anti-corruption, including a ruling in November from the European Union (EU) Court of Justice that reduces transparency and makes it easier to hide the flow of dirty money. Then, in December, the Qatargate scandal broke around accusations that a Vice President of the European Parliament accepted bribes from Qatar and Morocco in exchange for votes on parliamentary resolutions. The full extent of the scandal continues to unspool as more current and former Members of the European Parliament and their staff are implicated.

III was originally scheduled to participate in a workshop on the IACC in January organized by the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights, which included the IACC in its 2022 Corruption and Human Rights Recommendation. The turmoil created by Qatargate led to the workshop being postponed until March. The scandal highlights the urgent need for anti-corruption reform in the EU. III and our partners will use the opportunity in Brussels to advance the IACC and other anti-corruption initiatives.
Other events at the end of 2022 indicate that there is growing political will from many countries to find innovative ways to hold kleptocrats accountable. In November, Canada, Ecuador, and the Netherlands convened a High-Level Roundtable on Anti-Corruption in The Hague. 7 of the 14 countries present at the ministerial session expressed support for the creation of an IACC.
More than 40 states attended the non-ministerial session and a mixed session with intergovernmental organizations and civil society, where many ideas for addressing gaps in the international framework for combating corruption were discussed.

In December 2022, thousands of anti-corruption experts and activists gathered at the International Anti-Corruption Conference hosted by Transparency International (TI) and the U.S. State Department. Dozens of governments sent delegations to interact with civil society and build will towards a range of important anti-corruption innovations. You can read TI Chair Delia Ferreira Rubio's interview about the conference here, including discussion of the IACC.

III Chair Judge Mark Wolf and Vice Chair Judge Claudia Escobar spoke about the IACC on a panel at the conference. There was passionate support for the idea during the Q&A after the panel from citizens of Cote d'Ivoire, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Pakistan who viscerally understand the devastating consequences of grand corruption. Judge Escobar also discussed the IACC idea in a plenary session of the conference, III Board Member José Ugaz spoke about the Court on a panel on grand corruption and state capture, and, while moderating another panel, Amb. Norman Eisen described the IACC as an important idea that would complement the development of national institutions.
At the TI conference: III Vice Chair Judge Claudia Escobar speaking on the plenary stage (left) and Amb. Norman Eisen and III Chair Judge Mark Wolf (right)
The week of the conference, Amb. André Haspels hosted an briefing on the IACC and the campaign to create it at the Dutch Embassy in Washington, D.C. for ambassadors and embassy staff from two dozen countries and representatives of more than fifty civil society organizations.
The attendees were overwhelmingly supportive of the IACC idea. Left to right in the photo, III Vice Chair Judge Claudia Escobar of Guatemala, III Chair Judge Mark Wolf of the United States, III Vice Chair Justice Richard Goldstone of South Africa, and III's close partner and Chair of HEDA Resource Centre Lanre Suraju of Nigeria gave remarks on the Court.
Gerard Steeghs, Director for Multilateral Organizations and Human Rights at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also spoke about the Dutch government's commitment to work towards the creation of the IACC and the path forward.

In The Hague and Washington, D.C., III began positive dialogues with officials from more than a dozen states about the IACC. In 2023, III will continue to advance support for the IACC idea among interested states and work with its civil society partners to strengthen the campaign for the Court. III has also formed several committees of leading international law and corruption experts to draft a proposed treaty for the establishment of the IACC.

We are deeply grateful to our many new and existing partners working to develop a range of more effective transparency and accountability tools to combat corruption. Powerful vested interests will always fight to prevent accountability, but they can and will be countered by the vibrant anti-corruption community dedicated to promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Continue reading for more about III's activities in late 2022 and early 2023.
 
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Ukraine
Following a necessary pause in our activities in Ukraine due to Russia's illegal invasion, III will be engaging again in anticorruption activities there in 2023. Effectively combatting corruption is critical to maintaining the international community's trust in Ukraine and to ensuring its recovery from the war. Ukraine has proven its willingness in recent weeks to investigate accusations of corruption against high-level officials.

In September, III will host a delegation of judges from Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) in Boston. III has been involved in successfully recommending international experts to serve on judicial selection committees in Ukraine and in mentoring HACC judges, both in person in Kyiv and virtually during the pandemic. Read more on the III website.
III's partner Iegor Soboliev, who was a driving force behind the creation of the HACC when he was chair of the anti-corruption committee in the Ukrainian Parliament, and his wife Marichka Padalko, a leading Ukrainian news host, are scheduled to be featured on ABC's Nightline program on February 24. They are pictured right with their family and Judge Wolf.
Soboliev has fought in Kyiv, Bucha, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhia and now serves in the Ukrainian special forces. Padalko will run the Boston Marathon in April to raise money for an organization that supports Ukraine.

Just Peace Month Webinar on the IACC
In October, Just Peace Month, a month-long program in The Hague featuring public events related to peace and justice topics, held a discussion with key leaders of the campaign to create the IACC including:
  • Maja Groff - Co-Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC campaign
  • Slagjana Taseva - Chair of Transparency International Macedonia
  • Wim Jansen - Director of International Affairs at the Municipality of the Hague

Policy Lab: Protecting Democracies from Corruption
In November, III's partner in the effort to create an IACC, Club de Madrid (CdM) hosted a policy lab on Protecting Democracies from Corruption at the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Madrid, Spain. The CdM is composed of more than 120 former presidents and prime ministers.
Former President of Slovenia and current President of CdM Danilo Türk (on the screen) opened the policy lab, stating that he and dozens of his fellow former heads of state and government strongly support the IACC idea.
CdM continues to engage Spanish society in a discussion about the creation of an IACC, which could help safeguard democracies around the world. Additional speakers at the policy lab who support the IACC included:
  • Hanna Suchocka, Prime Minister of Poland (1992-1993) and Member of Club de Madrid
  • Judge Mark Wolf, Chair of Integrity Initiatives International
  • Javier Cremades, lawyer and President of the World Jurist Association
  • Augusto López-Claros, Executive Director of the Global Governance Forum and Co-Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC campaign
  • Magistrate Joaquín Elías Gadea Francés, National Court, Juzgado Central de Instrucción número 6 de la Audiencia Nacional
Sierra Leone's Anti-Corruption Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala (right), a signatory of the Declaration calling for the creation of the IACC, asked a question at the event.

You can watch the full policy lab here.

UNCAC Coalition Special Event on the IACC
In November, UNCAC Coalition’s Grand Corruption and State Capture working group hosted a discussion on the IACC moderated by Gillian Dell (Transparency International) and Cynthia Gabriel (C4). Over 60 members of the Coalition's network attend the event.

Three legal experts from III's committee working on developing a draft treaty to establish the IACC shared their vision for the Court:
  • III Vice Chair Justice Richard Goldstone, a former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa
  • Justice Maria Wilson, Justice of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago
  • Ambassador Allan Rock, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
You can watch their remarks below and read more about the event here.

The Hague Academy of International Law
On January 17, III Senior Treaty Advisor Maja Groff gave remarks on the IACC and the campaign to create it at The Hague Academy of International Law's winter course held at the Peace Palace.

COUNTERING THE CORRUPT

Reform of the Criminal Justice Administration in South Africa
On February 6, III's South African partner organization Accountability Now co-organized a hybrid event at the Oliver Tambo Moot Court in Cape Town on Countering the Corrupt.

III Vice Chair Justice Richard Goldstone (left) moderated a panel about the IACC on which III Youth Leaders Network member and founder of BeRelevant Africa Mwila Bwanga (right) argued that African states should lead the efforts to create the Court.
Among the participants (below) in the day-long event's high-level panel discussions were several signatories to the IACC Declaration, including Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, and Judge Ian Farlam, former Judge at the South African Supreme Court of Appeal.

The IACC in the News
Corruption War: Nigeria Makes Case for International Anti-corruption Court. This Day, January 24, 2023.
by Alex Enumah

Een nieuw internationaal hof - om de 'plunderende' Poetin te vervolgen (A new international court - to prosecute the 'plundering' Putin). NRC, January 11, 2023. (Subscription required to read).
by Steven Derix

VOA Interview: Global Corruption Fight Needs More Action. Voice of America, December 14, 2022.
by Akmal Dawi
  • Transparency International Chair Delia Ferreira Rubio told VOA, "I think there are lots of things to do, including discussions on an international anti-corruption court. We at Transparency International are researching that possibility but we also foster the possibility of using the regional institutions in order to guarantee the enforcement of conventions."
Are corruption and global warming two sides of the same coin? The Hill Times, December 12, 2022. (Subscription required to read).
by Joseph Ingram
  • The international community needs to reflect on whether, as a condition of supporting the newly created “climate funds” proposed at COP27, donor governments contributing to them should themselves be required to become members of the new International Anti-Corruption Court, as would governments receiving support from them. In this way, both the developed and poorer emerging economies will subject themselves to the kind of due diligence and legal safeguards that would give voting publics assurances that increased financing will indeed be used for what it was intended: to benefit growing climate induced impoverishment, and by extension, all of humanity and our planet as a whole.
Hoekstra wil corruptie op kaart zetten (Hoekstra wants to put corruption on the map). BNR, November 28, 2022.
by Mark van Harreveld
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told BNR that he would discuss the establishment of an IACC with his Canadian and Ecuadorian counterparts, among others. "We want to put large-scale corruption more on the map," he said. "It always undermines democracy and the rule of law."
Countries Call for World Anti-corruption Court. Barron's, November 28, 2022.
by AFP - Agence France Presse
  • "The Netherlands, Canada and Ecuador backed calls Monday for the creation of a global anti-corruption court, saying it would help tackle "kleptocrats" at the head of governments."
Es el momento de promover la creación de una Corte Internacional Anti-Corrupción (It is time to promote the creation of an International Anti-Corruption Court). Asociación Profesional de la Magistratura, November 22.
by Magistrate Joaquín Elías Gadea Francés

We need an international corruption court. The Times of London, November 21, 2022. (Subscription required to read).
by Edward Lucas


Mark Wolf: Does the world need a new anti-corruption court? BBC HARDtalk, November 16, 2022.
Zeinab Badawi interviewed III Chair Judge Mark Wolf on many common questions about the proposal for an International Anti-Corruption Court and the urgent need for the Court.
The case for an international anti-corruption court. International Bar Association, September 13, 2022.
by III Vice Chair Justice Richard Goldstone, Director of Instituto Anticorrupción Michel Levien González, and III Program Director Ian Lynch
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The mission of Integrity Initiatives International is to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter leaders who are corrupt and regularly violate human rights.

The Board of Integrity Initiatives International: Judge Mark Wolf, Chair; Judge Claudia Escobar, Vice-Chair; Justice Richard Goldstone, Vice-Chair; Robert Rotberg, Vice-Chair; Farid Rohani, Treasurer; Elaine Dezenski, Secretary; Robert Abernethy; Emil Bolongaita; Landon Butler; James Cottrell, Jr.; Geoffrey Cowan; Jonathan Fanton; Thomas Firestone; Ambassador Robert Gelbard; Tara Giunta; Paul Hoffman; Julia Makayova; Nicco Mele; Mary Page; Governor Deval Patrick; Jill Schuker; Dawn Smalls; José Ugaz; and Daniel Weintraub.
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Issue 5: “III Summer Newsletter: Your update on the Int’l Anti-Corruption Court campaign,” September 2022

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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.
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.
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.


On June 24, 2022, President Danilo Türk wrote in Politico that the world needs and IACC.

Read his op-ed here.
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.

Accountability for the War in Ukraine

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.
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.
 

$45,000 Matching Grant from the Wayfarer Foundation
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.
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
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.
In his speech, Minister Hoekstra reiterated the Dutch government's commitment to work with international partners to establish the IACC.
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.


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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Voices from III's Youth Leaders Network
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.

The IACC in the News
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.
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."

The Security Crisis: Sahel, Maghreb, and the European Union, Centre 4s, July 20, 2022.
by Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah

Read the original article in French here.

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.
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.


Bring Hope to Whistleblowers, says International Court of Justice Official, Whistleblower Network News, June 6, 2022
by Mark Worth
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.
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."

III is Hiring: Outreach & Communications Coordinator
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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The mission of Integrity Initiatives International is to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter leaders who are corrupt and regularly violate human rights.

The Board of Integrity Initiatives International: Judge Mark Wolf, Chair; Judge Claudia Escobar, Vice-Chair; Justice Richard Goldstone, Vice-Chair; Robert Rotberg, Vice-Chair; Farid Rohani, Treasurer; Elaine Dezenski, Secretary; Robert Abernethy; Emil Bolongaita; Landon Butler; James Cottrell, Jr.; Geoffrey Cowan; Camilo Enciso; Jonathan Fanton; Thomas Firestone; Ambassador Robert Gelbard; Tara Giunta; Paul Hoffman; Julia Makayova; Nicco Mele; Mary Page; Governor Deval Patrick; Jill Schuker; Dawn Smalls; José Ugaz; and Daniel Weintraub.
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Issue 4: “30 Additional Nobel Laureates Call For The Int'l Anti-Corruption Court,” April 2022

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Welcome to the fourth 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.

Message from the Chair of Integrity Initiatives International Judge Mark L. Wolf
As described in this newsletter, Integrity Initiatives International (III) has catalyzed a rapidly progressing campaign to create an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC). It has also been deeply involved with the creation of the Ukraine national anti-corruption court, and the selection and training of its judges. III was scheduled to host a delegation of judges from the Ukrainian Court in Boston in March.
Of course, they could not come. As former U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently wrote, “every day Putin continues to hold power, the case for an International Anti-Corruption Court grows.” If the IACC had been established years ago, it is more likely that Putin would now be in prison, rather than criminally killing Ukrainians.

Two recent events gave me an even deeper understanding of the urgent importance of III’s mission of strengthening the enforcement of criminal laws against kleptocrats. III’s primary partner in Ukraine Iegor Soboliev – a former member of Parliament and father of four – was in a trench outside of Bucha. In a lull in the Russian shelling, a citizen-soldier in another trench yelled “Iegor, do you think that when we win this war we can end corruption in Ukraine too?”

A few days later, III’s partner in Nigeria, Lanre Suraju, was finalizing planning for a major conference on the IACC in Abuja, Nigeria. Armed thugs broke into his home, and took his computer, mobile phone, and passwords, before brutally beating Lanre and his wife. Undeterred, several days later Lanre and his colleagues at the HEDA Resource Centre held what was an excellent conference.

My colleagues and I are inspired by Iegor and Lanre to rededicate ourselves to advancing III’s vital mission. Thank you for being part of this crucial cause.

32 Nobel Laureates and other luminaries endorse the IACC
On April 20, III announced that 30 additional Nobel Laureates have signed the Declaration in support of the creation of an IACC. The Declaration, first released in June 2021 with the signatures of more than 100 world leaders from 45 countries, has now been signed by more than 200 eminent individuals from over 60 countries.

The new signatories have voiced their support for the initiative because they recognize that the global community needs innovative tools in the fight against corruption. “Tackling corruption is fundamental to bolstering democracy around the world. New international institutions are also critical elements of strengthening multilateralism and the rule of law which have been under attack in recent years,” said Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams.
IACC Declaration signatories & Nobel Laureates: Leymah Roberta Gbowee, Shirin Ebadi, Jody Williams, Tawakkol Karman, and Rigoberta Menchú Tum.
“I am impressed by the quality of world leaders who have expressed their support for this initiative, reflecting growing awareness of the extent to which corruption undermines human progress and democracy. I am confident that we can find the political will to make this happen,” said Augusto Lopez Claros, Executive Director of the Global Governance Forum and  Co-Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC campaign.

Read the III press release here.

Dutch Foreign Minister champions the IACC
After III Chair Judge Mark Wolf and III Program Director Ian Lynch visited The Hague at the end of February for meetings with government officials and civil society, the Dutch government joined Canada in committing to work to create the IACC. On April 11, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told his EU counterparts of his commitment to champion the creation of an IACC.
Recognizing that establishing an IACC will be a long-term endeavor requiring broad support within the international community, the Netherlands, Canada, Ecuador, and other partners will hold a conference of Ministers from many countries in late 2022 on combating corruption, including how an IACC should be shaped and to build international support for it. III is working closely with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the preparations for the conference.

Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown calls for the IACC
Mr Brown wrote in the Times of London that "every day Putin continues to hold power, the case for an International Anti-Corruption Court grows as a forum of last resort, a court of final appeal to intervene where domestic law has not or cannot act against misappropriation of a country’s wealth, and to punish, deter and diminish corruption whenever a nation fails to enforce their own criminal laws against corrupt leaders."

Read more here.

Former Indonesian Anti-Corruption Commissioner advocates for the IACC
On March 22, GOPAC (the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption) held a joint event with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) discussing International Cooperation to Prosecute Corruption and Recover Stolen Assets during the 144th IPU Assembly in Bali, Indonesia.

Dr. Laode Syarif, former Commissioner of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK), Executive Director of Kemitraan (the Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia), and member of the the Asia-Pacific Subcommittee for the IACC campaign called on parliamentarians and other dignitaries to work to create the Court.

Conference on the IACC in Abuja, Nigeria
On March 31, the HEDA Resource Centre in Nigeria organized a conference on the IACC in the capital Abuja in partnership with III. Chaired by Dr Oliver Stolpe, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Representative in Nigeria, the event brought together many active supporters of the IACC.

Upcoming Events

Symposium on Supranational Responses to Corruption

April 28 - 29 in Vienna, Austria

At the symposium, organized by the World Bank, OECD, and the American Society of International Law, III Chair Judge Mark Wolf will present a forthcoming paper titled The International Anti-Corruption Court: A Transnational Response to Grand Corruption that he co-authored with Justice Richard Goldstone, Bethany Adam, Emil Bolongaita, and Robert Rotberg.

You can watch Judge Wolf's remarks this Friday April 29 at 12:30pm CEST (6:30am EST). Register to watch online here.

Australian Leadership Summit 2022

April 29 - 30 in Brisbane, Australia
 
Organized by the ADC Forum, the Australian Leadership Summit is an important gathering of Australian agenda setters. At the Summit, III Board Member Emil Bolongaita will moderate a session on Strengthening Accountability in a Rules-Based World Order: Establishing an International Anti-Corruption Court. The panel will include:
  • Gareth Evans, former Australian Foreign Minister
  • Richard Goldstone, former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa
  • Nikola Stepanov, Queensland Integrity Commissioner
  • Sarah Chayes, author and former special advisor to the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff

World Justice Forum

May 30 - June 2 in The Hague, the Netherlands
 
On June 1, III will host an event at the Forum on Addressing the Enforcement Gap: The Proposal for an International Anti-Corruption Court. Speakers will include:
  • Former Prime Minister of Poland Hanna Suchocka 
  • Judge Mark Wolf of the United States, III Chair and Co-Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC Campaign
  • Judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Maja Groff, Esq., Co-Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC Campaign
  • Dr. Jean-Pelé Fomété of Cameroon, and more.

Academic Council on the UN System (ACUNS) Annual Meeting

June 23 - 25 in Geneva, Switzerland

Co-Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC Campaign Maja Groff, an international lawyer based in The Hague, will moderate a panel on Addressing the Accountability Gap: An International Anti-Corruption Court. Speakers will include:
  • Justice Richard Goldstone of South Africa
  • Justice Maria Wilson of Trinidad and Tobago
  • Cynthia Gabriel, Founding Director of the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) in Malaysia
  • Michel Levien, Director of Streiner Anti-Corruption Bureau in Mexico

The IACC in the News
Peter MacKay: An international court to crack down on corruption, National Post in Canada, February 1, 2022
Former Canadian Minster of Justice, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay wrote:
  • "An IACC based in our country would have the added benefit of forcing us to strive for even higher domestic standards of ethics and accountability, and would no doubt bring a more serious approach to domestic corruption issues."
To Address Inequality and Poverty, Start By Tackling Corruption, World Politics Review, February 12, 2022
III Board Members Justice Richard Goldstone and Paul Hoffman wrote:
  • "We argue that an IACC would be a key institution to help address the deep structural dysfunctions and vested interests that are behind the worst global injustices and challenges."
Kick kleptocrats in the wallet, The Strategist in Australia, February 28, 2022
Australian journalist Graeme Dobell wrote:
  • "In seeking to buttress a rules-based international order against Putin and other autocrats, we need to reach beyond the old rules to create new institutions to police the rules. ... 

    The cold shadow cast by an anti-corruption court would fall on the property and loot beyond the nation being looted. The very idea will madden and frighten autocrats everywhere.

    In Australia’s election campaign in April and May, all sides of politics should follow Canada’s example and commit to a court to kick the kleptocrats."

Judge Mark Wolf’s Magnum Opus: The International Anti-Corruption Court, Whistleblower News Network, March 11, 2022
by Mark Worth

Allan Rock on the creation of an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC), World Refugee & Migration Council, March 24, 2022
World Refugee & Migration Council Special Advisor Allan Rock spoke at the University of British Columbia Peter A. Allard School of Law’s event International Anti-Corruption Court: An Idea Whose Time Has Come? He said:
  • "Given the scale of grand corruption and its global nature, there needs to be a global response. Everything the international community is doing now is not succeeding. The status-quo is failing. The IACC is a tool that can truly tackle the scourge of grand corruption."
Stakeholders back creation of International Anti-Corruption court, Vanguard News in Nigeria, April 1, 2022
by Luminous Jannamike

Kabinet gaat zich inzetten voor anticorruptiehof (Cabinet is committed to anti-corruption court), De Telegraaf in the Netherlands, April 11, 2022

Dutch gov't wants to establish international anti-corruption court, The NL Times, April 11, 2022

An Anti-Corruption Court could stop kleptocrats and oligarchs fuelling wars seen in Ukraine, Daily Maverick in South Africa, April 12, 2022
III Board Members Justice Richard Goldstone and Paul Hoffman, and III Program Director Ian Lynch wrote:
  • "The crisis in Ukraine will not graduate into something terminal if the political will to deal appropriately with the kleptocrats and oligarchs worldwide can be generated. The establishment of an IACC is a practical and useful way of demonstrating that the necessary will among nations does exist."
Establishing IACC: Everyone must be committed- Anti-Corruption Groups charge, The Sun in Nigeria, April 16, 2022
by Henry Uche
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The mission of Integrity Initiatives International is to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter leaders who are corrupt and regularly violate human rights.

The Board of Integrity Initiatives International: Judge Mark Wolf, Chair; Elaine Dezenski, Vice-Chair; Robert Rotberg, Vice-Chair; Farid Rohani, Treasurer; Julia Makayova, Secretary; Robert Abernethy; Emil Bolongaita; Landon Butler; James Cottrell, Jr.; Geoffrey Cowan; Camilo Enciso; Judge Claudia Escobar; Jonathan Fanton; Thomas Firestone; Ambassador Robert Gelbard; Tara Giunta; Justice Richard Goldstone; Paul Hoffman; Nicco Mele; Mary Page; Governor Deval Patrick; Jill Schuker; Dawn Smalls; José Ugaz; and Daniel Weintraub.
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Issue 3: “Canada will work to create an International Anti-Corruption Court,” January 2022

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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.
Canada will take a leading role in the efforts to establish an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC).
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."
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
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.

Corruption and the Climate Crisis
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:
Governing Our Climate Future: Interim Report of The Climate Governance Commission
III contributed a section to the Global Challenges Foundation's Climate Governance Commission report on why an IACC is needed to ensure that the immense sums of financing needed to combat climate change are not lost to corruption.

Taking the Climate Crisis Seriously Requires Ambitious Anti-Corruption Solutions, The Diplomat, November 5, 2021
Ian Lynch (III Program Director) and Maja Groff (Co-Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for the IACC campaign and Convenor of the Climate Governance Commission) wrote: 
  • "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."

BoldRoom Webinar with Justice Richard Goldstone 
Wednesday February 2 at 1PM EST / 8PM CAT
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.

Voices from III's Youth Leaders Network
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.

The IACC and Anti-Corruption Enforcement in the News
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.

Advocacy for the IACC
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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The mission of Integrity Initiatives International is to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter leaders who are corrupt and regularly violate human rights, and also to create opportunities for the democratic process to replace them with leaders dedicated to serving their citizens rather than enriching themselves. Integrity Initiatives works to end grand corruption by supporting national measures, such as the recently created special anti-corruption court in Ukraine; promoting understanding of the close connection between grand corruption and violations of human rights; forging a network of young people dedicated to combatting corruption; and catalyzing a campaign to establish the International Anti-Corruption Court.

The Board of Integrity Initiatives International: Judge Mark Wolf, Chair; Elaine Dezenski, Vice-Chair; Robert Rotberg, Vice-Chair; Farid Rohani, Treasurer; Julia Makayova, Secretary; Robert Abernethy; Emil Bolongaita; Landon Butler; James Cottrell, Jr.; Geoffrey Cowan; Camilo Enciso; Judge Claudia Escobar; Jonathan Fanton; Thomas Firestone; Ambassador Robert Gelbard; Tara Giunta; Justice Richard Goldstone; Paul Hoffman; Nicco Mele; Mary Page; Governor Deval Patrick; Jill Schuker; Dawn Smalls; José Ugaz; and Daniel Weintraub.
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Welcome to the second 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.
The Pandora Papers, released this month by Integrity Initiatives International's (III) colleagues, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), provide additional powerful evidence that corrupt leaders throughout the world are enriching themselves at the expense of the health and welfare of their often desperate citizens. The Pandora Papers expose the secret finances and lavish lifestyles of more than 330 politicians, including 35 current and former heads of state. They include the King of Jordan, who purchased 14 luxury homes worth $100 million in the United States and United Kingdom through front companies registered in tax havens; the President of Kenya, whose family secretly owned a network of offshore companies for decades; the President of Azerbaijan, who amassed a London property empire worth $694 million; and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who evidently made his mistress a very rich woman.

The Pandora Papers follow ICIJ's Panama and Paradise Papers, which provided similar evidence of grand corruption, but resulted in the conviction of only one politician, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan. Corrupt leaders have long enjoyed impunity because they control the administration of justice in the countries that they rule. Therefore, it is being increasingly recognized that an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC) is urgently needed. Read on for an update on the Court.

International Anti-Corruption Court: Update
Integrity Initiatives International (III) and its partners continue to make significant progress in the emerging international campaign to establish the IACC. 

Endorsements from Canada
Following the publication in June of the Declaration in Support of the Creation of an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC) signed by more than 125 world leaders from 46 countries, the IACC was included in both the Liberal and Conservative party platforms for the elections in Canada on September 20.
The Liberal platform: 
"Help establish an International Anti-Corruption Court, to prevent corrupt officials and authoritarian governments from raiding the resources of their citizens and impeding development."
The Conservative platform: 
"Advance the idea of an International Corruption Court to prosecute the world’s worst offenders who deny progress and democracy on the backs of the world’s most vulnerable."
With bipartisan support, III plans to work with the new Canadian government to move the proposal forward. Additional official interest in the Court is being expressed around the world, including in the Netherlands.

International Coordinating Committee
In July, III formed an International Coordinating Committee to lead the international campaign for the IACC. The Committee will work to catalyze a group of  governments to initiate a diplomatic process for negotiating a treaty to establish the IACC and to coordinate an international civil society coalition for the campaign to create it.

The IACC in the News
Canada should lead in creating an international court to fight corruption, The Toronto Star, October 12
Lloyd Axworthy, former Foreign Minister of Canada and Chair of the World Refugee and Migration Council (WRMC), and Fen Osler Hampson, Chancellor's Professor at Carleton University and President of the WRMC, wrote:
  • "Canada should take the lead in promoting the development of an IACC. The Liberals and Conservatives championed the idea in their party platforms in the recent election. Bipartisanship is a rare commodity, but this is one initiative where our two major parties can work together with like-minded countries, like the Netherlands and Norway, where there is also keen interest in the proposal."
Para impedir la cleptocracia es necesario un Tribunal Internacional Anticorrupción, esglobal, October 13
Deterring Kleptocracy Demands an International Anti-Corruption Court, Global Governance Forum, October 9
Susana Malcorra, the former Foreign Minister of Argentina, and Ian Lynch, III's Program Director, wrote that the Pandora Papers demonstrate the urgent need for an International Anti-Corruption Court to hold kleptocrats and their professional enablers accountable.

Covid-19: Pandemic heightens calls for international court to tackle grand corruption, the International Bar Association's (IBA) magazine Global Insight, September 24
The article quotes III Chair Judge Mark Wolf and III Board members Justice Richard Goldstone and Judge Claudia Escobar. It also quotes IBA President Sternford Moyo - a signatory to the Declaration in support of an IACC - who said the time has come for a dedicated international institution to address corruption when national governments are unable or unwilling to do so. He stated that:
  • "The adverse effects of corruption are, in many cases, comparable to the effects of crimes against humanity. Given the frequent cross-border transfer of looted resources to tax havens and jurisdictions which uphold secrecy in connection with such resources, and the fact that international aid to poor countries would be unnecessary but for corruption, it has assumed strong international dimensions and requires international collaboration and cooperation to fight and combat it effectively."

Advocacy for Strengthened Anti-Corruption Enforcement
UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
On July 12, III and the International Chamber of Commerce co-hosted a side event at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. III Vice Chair Elaine Dezenski provided opening remarks, III board member Chip Cottrell moderated the second session of the event, and III board member Judge Claudia Escobar offered closing remarks, among numerous distinguished speakers:
Deloitte UK's Tackling Illicit Finance videocast
The Honourable Peter MacKay PC QC, former Minister in the Canadian Government, and Judge Mark Wolf, Chair of III, discussed the urgent need for an International Anti-Corruption Court:
Watch their discussion on Tackling Illicit Finance here
Global Governance Forum Briefing
On July 28, Augusto Lopez-Claros, Chairman of the Global Governance Forum, moderated a briefing on the International Anti-Corruption Court for senior business leaders on July 28 by III's Chair, Judge Mark Wolf, and Board member Justice Richard Goldstone. Steve Sarowitz, Chairman and Founder of Paylocity, gave opening remarks and Ken Robinson, Board Member of Paylocity, gave closing remarks.

Voices from III's Youth Leaders Network
The Network held its first meeting in July with representatives from anti-corruption organizations around the world. Representatives from Venezuela, Russia, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Mexico, Norway, Uganda, Latvia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Peru, India, Germany, Malta and the United States shared their experiences and anti-corruption related projects.

Concerned by the dire conditions in Lebanon, YAC-Youth Against Corruption, a youth-led organization that leverages youth talents, social innovation and entrepreneurship in the fight against corruption, founded and directed by Network member Serena Ibrahim, published the following open letter in September calling for the creation of the IACC, among other actions.

Upcoming Events
Just Peace Month

III and its partners will host virtual events as part of Just Peace Month organized by The Hague Humanity Hub and supported by the Municipality of The Hague. The program from September 19 - October 24 focuses on human stories of peace and justice.
 
Human Stories from the Frontlines of Anti-Corruption
October 21 at 11 am EDT / 5 pm CEST
Members of III's Youth Leaders Network will tell stories of their experiences with corruption and how they are working to address it in their countries. You can pre-register here.

A 21st Century United Nations for a Just Peace? Personal Stories in Building a Renewed Global Governance
October 23 at 8 am EDT / 2 pm CEST
III's partners international economist Augusto Lopez-Claros, international lawyer Maja Groff, and environmental scientist/international ecological policy-maker Arthur Lyon Dahl will discuss what motivated them to write their book, Global Governance and the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century, which includes a chapter on the IACC.
International Chamber of Commerce
"Make Climate Action Everyone’s Business" Forum

III and the Climate Governance Commission will co-host a virtual panel at the International Chamber of Commerce's November 1-13 virtual forum in the margins of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Enhancing Global Governance to Address the Climate Crisis
November 9th at noon EST / 5:00 pm GMT.
Panelists will discuss proposals in Governing Our Climate Future including: an International Anti-Corruption Court, an International Court for the Environment, reform of the UN Charter, international criminal law on "ecocide," and more.
To register, use the form at the bottom of this webpage.
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The mission of Integrity Initiatives International is to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter leaders who are corrupt and regularly violate human rights, and also to create opportunities for the democratic process to replace them with leaders dedicated to serving their citizens rather than enriching themselves. Integrity Initiatives works to end grand corruption by supporting national measures, such as the recently created special anti-corruption court in Ukraine; promoting understanding of the close connection between grand corruption and violations of human rights; forging a network of young people dedicated to combatting corruption; and catalyzing a campaign to establish the International Anti-Corruption Court.
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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.
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.
 

Voices from III's Youth Leaders Network
by Bianca Bolaños, analyst at Impunidad Cero, Mexico

Impunidad Cero is a civil society organization based in Mexico that measures, analyses and makes impunity visible in order to tackle it. One of our main areas of research is to uncover corrupt networks, especially in the health sector, including our Operación Desabasto investigation. We recently published an article in The Global Anticorruption Blog regarding the use of fake invoices by shell companies to embezzle millions of dollars from public health institutions in Mexico.
 
Another line of our work has been generating practical tools to incentivize the reporting of corruption. In collaboration with Action4Justice, we recently published the Legal Anti-Corruption Guide. This guide seeks to provide practical tips and accessible information to assist groups, communities, civil society organizations or any individual in:
  • Understanding and identifying corruption;
  • Gathering and putting together evidence to prove corruption;
  • Reporting corruption to law enforcement authorities and other reporting bodies;
  • Using legal mechanisms to challenge corruption; and
  • Finding support and further information on how to challenge corruption.
This guide is general in scope, highlighting international standards, concrete examples from different legal systems and jurisdictions, and cross-cutting practical guidance.
 
For more information, visit www.impunidadcero.org and  www.denuncia.org
 

Kleptocracy in the News
A new bipartisan Congressional Caucus against Foreign Corruption and Kleptocracy was established in the United States. It is co-chaired by Representatives Tom Malinowski, John Curtis, Bill Keating, and Brian Fitzpatrick. Its members are introducing a raft of anti-corruption bills into Congress including the CROOK Act and the Justice for Victims of Kleptocracy Act.

On June 3, the UN launched the The Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (GlobE Network) to provide a platform for information exchange between frontline anti-corruption law enforcement practitioners across borders.

Upcoming Events
III and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) are co-hosting an official side event on Public Private Action to Combat Corruption at the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on July 12 from 7:30-9:00 a.m. EDT.

Click here to register. Connection details will be shared with registrants in due course.

The panelists will discuss the evolving role of multilateral engagement in the fight against corruption, anti-corruption enforcement, and new opportunities to create a level playing field. 
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The mission of Integrity Initiatives International is to strengthen the enforcement of criminal laws to punish and deter leaders who are corrupt and regularly violate human rights, and also to create opportunities for the democratic process to replace them with leaders dedicated to serving their citizens rather than enriching themselves. Integrity Initiatives works to end grand corruption by supporting national measures, such as the recently created special anti-corruption court in Ukraine; promoting understanding of the close connection between grand corruption and violations of human rights; forging a network of young people dedicated to combatting corruption; and catalyzing a campaign to establish the International Anti-Corruption Court.
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