Constituency, Partnerships & Governance
ANNUAL REPORT 2021
Last updated: December 2021
80
parties
At year-end, IACA had a global constituency of 80 Parties, including 25 State Parties from the Asia- Pacific Group, 19 from the Eastern European Group, 14 from the African Group, 9 from the Western European and Others Group, 9 from the Latin American and Caribbean Group, and 4 international organizations.
IACA is devoted to working in close partnership with the United Nations system. In 2021, the special session of the UN General Assembly Against Corruption (UNGASS 2021) adopted the Political Declaration as a blueprint to help countries tackle corruption. The Declaration calls for strengthening anti-corruption research, education and training as key drivers of change to build a culture of integrity and provide the basis for a corruption-free society. In this context, it calls upon international and regional anti-corruption organizations, such as IACA, to strengthen cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other relevant United Nations entities.
To help foster this partnership, since 2016, IACA has maintained a Permanent Observer Office with the UN in Vienna and in 2021, established a Permanent Observer Office at the UN headquarters in New York. The purpose of establishing the New York Office was to mobilize support for the anti-corruption agenda at the United Nations headquarters and its nexus to the Sustainable Development Goals. By doing so, IACA has increased awareness of its organization and programmes among the United Nations and its Member States. In addition, the Academy has observer status with the United Nations General Assembly, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Over a dozen training and capacity development projects were implemented with various partners, including the Corruption Eradication Commission of Indonesia, New Development Bank, International Centre for Migration Policy Development, and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Importantly, 2021 marks the year when IACA was included in the OECD Annex 2 List of ODA (official development assistance) eligible international organizations, with a 100% coefficient for core contributions. All IACA programmes are now considered as fully ODA-eligible by the OECD and its member countries.
IACA’s Dean and Executive Secretary, Mr. Thomas Stelzer, was a member of the High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity for Achieving the 2030 Agenda (FACTI panel). The panel's final report was launched at an event consisting of a high-level segment and a moderated panel discussion. The report calls on governments to agree to a Global Pact for Financial Integrity for Sustainable Development, restoring the amounts lost in financial crimes, such as tax abuse, corruption, and money laundering, to redirect them to finance essential action on poverty, the climate crisis, or COVID-19 recovery in line with the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. In March, Mr. Stelzer presented the report to the Permanent Missions in Vienna. This briefing was organized jointly by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the FACTI Panel Secretariat in order to foster further engagement and dialogue on the report recommendations.
At the 2021 European Forum Alpbach, IACA curated two important anti-corruption events. The first one was the High-Level Panel on Corruption and Sustainable Development: Joining the Fight against Corruption. It involved the 8th United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon; the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet; Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Mr. José Ángel Gurria; and Nobel Peace Laureate, Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The second Panel was on Effective Anti-Corruption Whistleblower Protection. It involved the Fairfax Group President and the Chairman of the IACA’s Senior Advisory Board, Mr. Michael Hershman; journalist and members of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Ms. Corinne Vela; and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Freedom of Expression, Mr. David Kaye. It was moderated by Whistleblowing International Network’s Executive Director, Ms. Anna Myers. Exploring challenges to the implementation of effective whistleblower protection frameworks in the public and private sectors was at the heart of this session.
Credentials
Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives of the following countries presented their credentials in 2021: Georgia, Argentina, Afghanistan, Panama, Syria, Nigeria, Togo, Chile, Malaysia, Slovakia, Kyrgyzstan, and Croatia.
In September, IACA’s Dean and Executive Secretary and Permanent Observer participated in the the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UN GA). He also held bilateral meetings with the Chairs and/or Secretaries in charge of three Main GA Committees, namely the Second (Economic and Financial) Committee, the Third (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) Committee and the Sixth (Legal) Committee.
In December, an IACA delegation attended the 9th session of the Conference of the States Parties (COSP) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in Sharm El-Sheikh, the Arab Republic of Egypt. Stressing that partnerships are key to achieving lasting results, the Dean and Executive Secretary of IACA emphasized that “the Political Declaration adopted at the beginning of the UN General Assembly Special Session against corruption recognizes the importance of education and training in anti-corruption and this is firmly in line with IACA’s mandate. Moreover, within the framework of the Conference, IACA hosted a side event on “Engaging UNCAC Constituents: The Global Anti-Corruption Cities Network.”
The Academy has signed Memoranda of Understanding with different institutions throughout the year, including the Fundação Getulio Vargas, Brazil, the University for Peace, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI), the Anticorruption Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Peru, the Italian National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) of Nigeria.
Further details can be found in the Dialogue and Networking section of this report.
Governance
The efforts of IACA’s organs and staff aim to support and strengthen the organization’s work focused on implementing innovative learning programmes in anti-corruption and compliance and to promote financial ownership and participation, stability, and sustainability.
Assembly of Parties
The Tenth Session of IACA’s Assembly of Parties was held on 7 October 2021 and 27 October 2021 at the Vienna International Centre (VIC), Austria. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, this session was organized in a hybrid format (in-person and online participation). The session ended successfully, with the unanimous adoption of five resolutions.
The Assembly elected H.E. Mr. Ivo Sramek (Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to IACA; Eastern European Group ) as the President of the tenth session, succeeding Mr. Helmut Tichy (Permanent Representative of Austria to IACA; Western European and Others Group). The following officers were also elected by the Assembly:
- Vice President: H.E. Mr. Robinson Njeru Githae (African Group)
- Vice President: H.E. Mr. Muhammad Abdul Muhith (Asia-Pacific Group)
- Rapporteur: H.E. Ms. Catherine Koika (Western European and Others Group)
- Rapporteur: H.E. Ms. Julia Emma Villatoro Tario (Latin American and Caribbean Group)
During the session, IACA’s Dean and Executive Secretary, Mr. Thomas Stelzer, outlined the progress of the implementation of IACA’s Work Programme 2021-2024, and current and emerging trends and challenges in the prevention of combating corruption. In this context, he highlighted the need for increased focus on the implementation of UNCAC, the opportunities for corruption created by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the challenges posed by digitalization.
The future strategic direction and the financial stability of IACA were the main focus of discussion during the Assembly. The Parties highlighted, in particular, IACA’s achievements and its global recognition despite the limited resources of the Academy. They stressed the necessity of a suitably well-funded general budget, and expressed a desire for increased cooperation, especially in regards to the organization’s financial resources and stability.
The Boards
IACA is governed by the Board of Governors (BoG) consisting of 11 members, all of whom serve in their individual capacities. During 2021 the Board met online on 12 March, 17 June, and 6 October to discuss recent and future IACA activities and current financial and staffing situation. In their deliberations, the Board also gave due consideration to institutional and academic developments at IACA, particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. After the 6 October elections, the composition of the Board was the following: Ms. Patricia Ximena Arriagada Villouta (Chile); Mr. Alexey Konov (Russian Federation); Mr. Youssef Magdi (Egypt); Mr. Ekpo Nta (Nigeria); Ms. Pak Un Jong (Republic of Korea); Mr. Eduardo Vetere (UNODC); Mr. Guo Yong (China); Mr. Mathias Vogl (Austria), Dr. Shakir Ahmed Saleh al Saleh (Saudi Arabia); Mr. Datuk Seri Azam Baki (Malaysia); and Mr. Silvio Ioan Popa (Romania).
The International Senior Advisory Board (ISAB) serves as an advisory organ reflecting on its activities and offering observations and advice on how the highest standards can be met and maintained. The ISAB is composed of members with outstanding credentials from a wide variety of backgrounds. The ISAB is chaired by Mr. Michael Hershman (United States of America), co-founder of Transparency International.
The International Academic Advisory Board (IAAB) performs an advisory function in matters relating to IACA’s educational programmes, training, and research. It consists of internationally renowned academics and practitioners. The IAAB is chaired by Professor Hans-Heiner Kühne (Germany) from the University of Trier.