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Background
The first regional event was hosted in Buenos Aires in 1998 by the Argentinean Government. The OECD and the Organization of American States (OAS), in co-operation with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and other partners, organised a Conference on “Combating Bribery in International Transactions”. The conference raised the profile of key anti-corruption efforts, in particular the OECD and OAS Conventions and contributed to support national and regional anti-corruption efforts.
Subsequently, relevant changes took place in the fight against corruption in Latin America. In June 2001, 18 states party to the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption (IACAC or OAS Convention) adopted a mechanism to follow-up the implementation of this Convention, thus giving a new turn to anti-corruption efforts on the American continent. Reflecting this new development, the OECD launched the 2001-2002 Governance and Anti-Corruption Forum for Latin America aimed at: 1) Developing the OAS follow-up mechanism to ensure the effective implementation of the CIACC; 2) Bringing the OECD experience on Accountability and Transparency in the Public Sector to Latin America; and 3) Strengthening the role of the private sector in anti-corruption efforts.
In 2004, the OECD Anti-Corruption Division organised jointly with the Brazilian Government the Conference on “Implementation and Enforcement of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions”. The conference brought together government, business and civil society representatives mostly from Brazil, as well as from Argentina, Chile, and Mexico.
The Conference furthered regional co-operation in the fight against corruption. It also provided key messages on the determination of governments to give full effect to the OECD Anti-Corruption Convention and national implementing legislation. One of the key messages was that although corruption remains to be an issue of major concern throughout the region, the level of tolerance has significantly decreased. Laws are in place, Governments are strengthening enforcement mechanism, business integrity programmes are developing and there is increasing attention in the media. Regarding business in particular, there was a strong focus on encouraging the further development and enforcement of integrity programmes abiding with the law and voluntary commitments. Finally, areas for future action were highlighted in preparation notably of the Phase 2 monitoring reviews by the OECD Working Group on Bribery.
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1. Developing the follow-up mechanism to the OAS Convention
In January 2002, the OECD and the OAS organised a Workshop on the experience of four monitoring mechanisms: those of the FATF, the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions, the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Commission and the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO). This workshop allowed the OAS Committee of Experts and the future supporting secretariat team to take into account the lessons learned in terms of practical management in these international organisations, in the design of their own follow-up mechanism.
2. Bringing the OECD experience on prevention measures to Latin American countries
In November 2001, the OECD's Public Management Service (PUMA), the OAS and the Brazilian government organised a forum to share expertise on the implementation of preventive measures. This Forum, on Ensuring Accountability and Transparency in the Public Sector, brought together more than 450 senior officials from OECD countries, Latin America and the Caribbean. It led to the development of policy recommendations that support the efforts to implement preventive measures defined by the Inter-American Convention against Corruption. The Policy Recommendations list key principles and crucial factors which have to be taken into account to ensure impartiality in the decision-making process by a credible conflict-of-interest policy; to increase transparency in the preparation and execution of the budget; and to promote freedom of information and participation of citizens in the formulation and implementation of public policies.
3. Working with the private sector to implement the OECD Convention
In parallel with the monitoring process of the OECD Convention against international bribery, the OECD Secretariat seeks to ensure efficient implementation of this key instrument. The general philosophy is to complement the legalistic work linked to the implementation of the Convention with activities focused on the prevention of corruption in international transactions and promoting the adoption of internal prevention mechanisms in firms and in public administrations. These initiatives are meant also to create links between the related regulatory trends of corporate governance and corporate responsibility, and to develop the dialogue and collaboration with the business community.
Against this background, the OECD and the Mexican government jointly organised a conference on September 19-20, 2002, in Mexico City on "Implementing the OECD Convention Against Corruption: Working with the Private Sector".
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The OECD fights corruption
