Costa Rica has taken an important step on the road to OECD membership by completing the process to become a member of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention. Costa Rica will become the 43rd Party to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention on 23rd July 2017, 60 days after the deposit of its instrument of accession. Manuel Tovar, Head of the Delegation of Costa Rica for OECD Affairs in Paris, deposited Costa Rica's instrument to accede to the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions at the OECD Headquarters in Paris on 24 May.
"We welcome Costa Rica as the 43rd State Party to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention," said OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurría. "Costa Rica’s joining of the Convention sends an important signal to governments and businesses in Latin America and globally of the importance of working together to fight corruption in international business transactions. This step also highlights Costa Rica’s commitment to OECD best practices and standards"
On 29 July 2016, the OECD invited Costa Rica to join the OECD Working Group on Bribery and to take the necessary steps to accede to the Convention. Costa Rica will now undergo systematic reviews on the implementation of its anti-bribery laws, starting with a first examination in June 2017.
The OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, which entered into force in 1999, prohibits the bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions. Through country monitoring and extensive peer-led follow-up, the Convention seeks to ensure that the fight against bribery is effective, thus creating a level playing field for fair competition.
In addition to Costa Rica, the 35 OECD member countries plus Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Lithuania, Russia and South Africa are Parties to the Convention.
For further information, journalists are invited to contact the OECD Media Office.