HSE University Anti-Corruption Portal
General Information
Anti-Corruption Track
Evaluation Mechanism

The OAS is a continental organization that was founded in 1948 on the basis of the Pan-American Union to protect sovereignty and territorial integrity of the member states. The organization counts 35 independent member states of the Americas (in spite of the fact that Cuba is formally an OAS member, its authorities refuse to participate in the activities of the OAS). The organization has initiated the adoption of a number of agreements also in the area of anti-corruption.

The OAS is led by the Secretary General, elected by the General Assembly. The incumbent Secretary General is Luis Almagro from Uruguay. The OAS is headquartered in Washington.

 

The anti-corruption activities of the OAS are primarily focused on the implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (IACAC). It was adopted in 1996 and came into force in 1997. The IACAC was ratified by 34 OAS members except for Cuba.

The IACAC was the first international convention to address exclusively the question of corruption. As for the content of the IACAC, it largely preceded the UN Convention against Corruption. It addresses such issues as the prevention of corruption, criminalization of specific corruption offences, including international bribery and illicit enrichment, as well as international cooperation among the parties to the IACAC in the area of legal and technical interaction, extradition and identification, tracing, freezing, seizure and confiscation of property or assets acquired from corruption.

A Committee of Experts was established to monitor the implementation of the Convention. The key issues of its implementation, including the relevant Mechanism, are addressed by the Conference of the States parties to the IACAC.

The OAS also undertakes other initiatives in the area of anti-corruption. In particular, the OAS drafted two model laws on crucial anti-corruption instruments: 1) declaration of income, assets and liabilities and 2) protection of whistleblowers. In addition, anti-corruption trainings for public officials are organized and a database of anti-corruption legislation of the countries of the Americas is maintained under the auspices of the OAS.

To provide informational support for the implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, the OAS has launched the Anticorruption Portal of the Americas. It contains the text of the Convention as well as information on the follow up mechanism, model laws and legislative guidelines developed by the OAS, links to country anti-corruption legislation and a number of other materials.

The monitoring of the implementation of the IACAC is divided into several stages. Each stage is focused on specific issues addressed by the IACAC.

The Committee of Experts plays a key role in the review of the implementation of the Convention. In particular, it adopts a separate questionnaire for each stage of the monitoring process that all states parties subsequently full in. After the completion of the questionnaire a subgroup of the Committee of Experts, responsible for reviewing a certain country, visits the country under review and meets representatives of competent authorities and civil society. In the follow up to the visit a draft country report is prepared and after proper procedures it is discussed, amended and adopted in the plenary meeting of the Committee of Experts.

All country reports are available here.

Membership and adhesions
Antigua and Barbuda
Chile
Grenada
Nicaragua
Suriname
Argentina
Colombia
Guatemala
Panama
The Bahamas
Barbados
Costa Rica
Guyana
Paraguay
Trinidad and Tobago
Belize
Dominica
Haiti
Peru
Uruguay
Bolivia
Dominican Republic
Honduras
Saint Kitts and Nevis
USA
Brazil
Ecuador
Jamaica
Saint Lucia
Venezuela
Canada
El Salvador
Mexico
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Antigua and Barbuda
Costa Rica
Honduras
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Argentina
Dominica
Jamaica
Suriname
Barbados
Dominican Republic
Mexico
The Bahamas
Belize
Ecuador
Nicaragua
Trinidad and Tobago
Bolivia
El Salvador
Panama
Uruguay
Brazil
Grenada
Paraguay
USA
Canada
Guatemala
Peru
Venezuela
Chile
Guyana
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Colombia
Haiti
Saint Lucia
Antigua and Barbuda
Ecuador
Peru
Argentina
El Salvador
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Barbados
Grenada
Saint Lucia
Belize
Guatemala
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Bolivia
Guyana
Suriname
Brazil
Haiti
The Bahamas
Canada
Honduras
Trinidad and Tobago
Chile
Jamaica
Uruguay
Colombia
Mexico
USA
Costa Rica
Nicaragua
Venezuela
Dominica
Panama
Dominican Republic
Paraguay
Antigua and Barbuda
Haiti
Argentina
Honduras
Barbados
Jamaica
Belize
Mexico
Bolivia
Nicaragua
Brazil
Panama
Canada
Paraguay
Chile
Peru
Colombia
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Costa Rica
Saint Lucia
Dominica
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Dominican Republic
Suriname
Ecuador
The Bahamas
El Salvador
Trinidad and Tobago
Grenada
Uruguay
Guatemala
USA
Guyana
Venezuela
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
The Bahamas
Trinidad and Tobago
Uruguay
USA
Venezuela
Documents
Inter-American Convention against Corruption (IACAC)

The Inter-American Convention against Corruption (IACAC) was adopted in 1996 and designed to promote, facilitate and regulate cooperation among states parties to ensure the effectiveness of measures to counter corruption in the performance of public functions.

The IACAC introduces a number of anti-corruption measures such as criminalization of corruption offences, including bribery and illicit enrichment, cooperation between states parties, asset recovery that provides for joint action of the states parties to the IACAC in tracing, freezing, seizure and confiscation of proceeds of corruption and a monitoring of the implementation of the IACAC.

Inter-American Programme of Cooperation to Fight Corruption, 2006

The document adopted as a follow-up to the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (IACAC) sets out specific objectives for the states parties to the IACAC. The programme contains a general set of measures in the area of legal regulation, institutional set-up, international cooperation and the engagement of civil society in countering corruption that states parties should take.

Mechanism for Follow-Up of Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, Buenos Aires, 2001

The document, adopted in the plenary session of the General Assembly in Buenos Aires in 2001, specifies the objectives, principles and procedure for follow-up of implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (IACAC) by the states parties.

Declaration of Managua, 2004

The Declaration and the Plan of Action on Additional Concrete Measures to Increase Transparency and Combat Corruption within the Framework of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption were adopted in the plenary session in Managua in 2004. The states parties reaffirm in these documents their commitment, in accordance with applicable national and international law, to denying safe haven to corrupt officials and to those who corrupt them, cooperating in their extradition, denying the entry of the proceeds of corruption and attempting the recovery and return of such proceeds to their legitimate owners.

The states parties reaffirmed this in the Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain in 2009.

Plan of Action on Additional Concrete Measures to Increase Transparency and Combat Corruption within the Framework of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, Managua, 2004

The Plan of Action on Additional Concrete Measures to Increase Transparency and Combat Corruption within the Framework of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption and the relevant Declaration were adopted in the plenary session in Managua in 2004. The states parties reaffirm in these documents their commitment, in accordance with applicable national and international law, to denying safe haven to corrupt officials and to those who corrupt them, cooperating in their extradition, denying the entry of the proceeds of corruption and attempting the recovery and return of such proceeds to their legitimate owners.

Anti-Corruption Portal of the Americas

The portal contains documents related to the follow-up of implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption. There are, inter alia:

  • methodological documents for conducting the follow-up of implementation ;
  • country reports;
  • database of best practices;
  • database of model laws.
Model Laws and Legislative Guidelines

This section of the Anti-Corruption Portal of the Americas has two model laws, namely on the declaration of income, assets and liabilities and on the protection of whistleblowers, and legislative guidelines for different areas of anti-corruption, including:

  • conflict of interest;
  • obligation to report corrupt acts;
  • whistleblower protection;
  • employment of public officials;
  • disclosure of assets;
  • control over public resources;
  • establishment and functioning of oversight bodies.
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