ANNUAL REPORT 2020
A YEAR IN REVIEW
Foreword by the Dean
IACA would like to introduce this year’s Annual Report by expressing its gratitude to its constituency, including the host state of Austria, the Board of Governors, the International Senior Advisory Board, the International Academic Advisory Board, faculty, students, participants, alumni, and staff who have helped to make it possible for the Academy to continue its activities throughout 2020.
Thomas Stelzer
Dean & Executive Secretary
International Anti_Corruption Academy
This report describes the activities carried out by IACA through a year of challenges and changes at the Academy. Firstly, I was honoured to take up my position as Dean and Executive Secretary of the Organization in March. My plans for the beginning of my tenure, including meeting partners and stakeholders, were quickly overtaken by the global, COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis defined 2020 for the organization and overall, has been a catalyst for positive change at IACA.
As students could no longer travel to Laxenburg we were forced to adapt. All of the Academy's courses were successfully translated into an e-learning format in a matter of weeks. These changes led to the organization’s online infrastructure being greatly expanded and to further innovations, including the development of online self paced courses. These adaptations allowed the Academy to continue making a valuable contribution to preventing and fighting corruption through its Master’s programmes, open and standardized trainings, tailor-made trainings, research, and other educational activities.
Throughout 2020, IACA has continued to advocate for and stress the importance of investing in anti-corruption education and the empowerment of anti-corruption and compliance professionals. The Academy has continued to support the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) through its activities. Specifically, IACA has focused on areas such as anti-money laundering, ethics and compliance, good governance, asset recovery, public procurement, online investigation, and the protection of whistleblowers. It has also worked to promote the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at every opportunity.
All of IACA’s activities and developments would not have been possible without the support of our stakeholders. Hence, I would like to express my gratitude to our constituency, including the host state of Austria, the Board of Governors, the International Senior Advisory Board, the International Academic Advisory Board, faculty, students, participants, alumni, and staff, who have helped make it possible for the Academy to continue to successfully deliver on its mandate throughout 2020.
The Academy has also continued to consolidate its efforts to ensure that gender equality and female empowerment are upheld in the selection and recruitment of its staff, participation in its programmes and trainings, and in the awarding of scholarships.
IACA will continue efforts to develop its status as the centre of excellence in anti-corruption education, training, and research. For that purpose, our staff will continue to seek out innovative ways to address current challenges relating to international efforts to prevent and fight corruption.
