Stories from newsletters

The eighth session of IACA’s Assembly of Parties took place in Nur-Sultan, Republic of Kazakhstan, on 2 - 4 October, and ended successfully with the adoption of four resolutions and the Nur-Sultan Declaration.

Throughout the three-day gathering, delegates expressed their strong support for IACA, underlined the importance of its global work, and gave very positive feedback on the quality and relevance of its academic degree programmes, open trainings, and tailor-made trainings.

Parties broadly commended IACA for its achievements and global recognition in spite of the Academy’s limited resources, underscored the necessity of a suitably well-funded general budget, and indicated desire for increased cooperation, including with regard to the organization’s financial resources and stability.

The 8th session of the Conference of the States Parties (COSP) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) finalised its work in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates on Friday, 20 December 2019. IACA’s delegation to the COSP was led by Ms. Christiane Pohn-Hufnagl, Officer-in-Charge.

In her statement delivered to the plenary, Ms. Pohn-Hufnagl elaborated on the work of the Academy and its contribution to the implementation of the UNCAC. She also emphasised that ‘as with tackling corruption on the day to day level, the same degree of vigilance is required at the macro level in supporting and maintaining the institutions that are the backbone of the global anti-corruption efforts’.

The conference adopted 15 resolutions relevant for the implementation of the Convention as well as awareness raising on anti-corruption related topics.

Three of these referred to the activities of IACA. In particular, in the resolution on “Strengthening asset recovery to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” the States parties to UNCAC requested the UNODC Secretariat to strengthen, as appropriate, co-operation with IACA on developing and implementing trainings for professionals and practitioners working in the field of asset recovery and return of proceeds of crime.

The resolution on “Enhancing integrity by raising public awareness” recognizes IACA’s important contribution in providing technical assistance and training to raise public awareness and enhance integrity. It also encourages States parties to take advantage of capacity-building and training programmes provided by IACA. Finally, the resolution on “Promoting integrity in the public sector among States parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption” takes note with appreciation of the contributions that IACA can provide in the areas of technical assistance and training, upon the request of States parties, to enhance integrity in the public sector of States parties.

IACA's well-attended side event entitled “Educate-Engage-Empower” to Fight Corruption - The Cooperative Approach of the International Anti-Corruption Academy’ was held on the first day of the conference. It brought together four members of IACA’s over 2,400 strong Alumni Network who provided their perspectives on the impact of IACA’s educational activities and their experiences in the practice of anti-corruption after graduating from IACA programmes or while being enrolled at the Academy.

Application will open soon for next year’s Summer Academy. The event is schedules to take place from 26 June to 3 July 2020.

The IACA Summer Academy is an intensive programme designed for professionals looking to consolidate their experience and enhance their competences to better counter corruption. Interdisciplinary in nature, it addresses trends and practices on the global anti-corruption agenda and promotes a culture of the reflective practitioner.

Every year, the programme is delivered by more than a dozen renowned academics and practitioners. The first five annual IACA Summer Academies were organized with the kind support of Siemens under the Siemens Integrity Initiative.

Since 2015, IACA has been taking the Summer Academy model to various regions around the globe. In the framework of Regional Summer Academies, special attention is devoted to region-specific topics and exchange of knowledge, experience, and good practices among the compliance and anti-corruption professionals. A combination of theory with real-world case studies delivered by the internationally renowned professors and practitioners provides fresh insights into regional anti-corruption issues

This year, the fifth and sixth Regional Summer Academies (RSAs) were successfully delivered with a regional focus on two continents.

From 30 August to 6 September, RSA South and East Asia was held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and registered 48 participants from 11 countries of the region.

From 20 to 27 September, Sao Paulo, Brazil, was the host city for RSA Central and South America, which welcomed 70 participants from 12 countries.

All participants benefitted from a programme taught by world-class speakers from the regions, blending theory and practice and addressing anti-corruption and compliance topics from diverse perspectives.

This year’s Summer Academy participants now join the IACA alumni association, a worldwide network of more than 2,400 anti-corruption and compliance professionals from over 161 countries and jurisdictions. Nearly 550 participants from close to 120 countries and jurisdictions have already benefited from the Summer Academy to date.

The RSA’s are held with the generous support of the Siemens Integrity Initiative.

From 9 to 12 December the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) welcomed 39 IACA Alumni from 25 countries for a Special Anti-Corruption Training which was the first of its kind.

The group of anti-corruption and compliance professionals included the 18 winners of the Regional Summer Academy Competition, which was organized in October 2019 for participants of IACA’s last three Regional Summer Academies (RSAs).

Considering the theme of “My Anti-Corruption Journey: How IACA is helping my anti-corruption and compliance work”, participants had to submit an entry describing how IACA has inspired them in their daily fight against corruption.

18 winners were selected based on their entries’ originality and clarity in explaining how attending the respective RSA has helped the winners in their anti-corruption journeys in their home countries and regions. All the winners were invited to attend the Special Anti-Corruption Training Programme, with the support of the Siemens Integrity Initiative.

During the last quarter of 2019, IACA has organized several tailor-made trainings for a broad array of participants. All trainings this quarter were held at IACA’s campus.

IACA delivered an  Anti-Corruption Course for Experts from Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, a second Anti-Corruption Training for the Korea Council of Public Organizations Internal Auditors, seventh tailor-made training for Indian Central Vigilance Commission, and a second Anti-Corruption tailor-made training for Government officials from the People’s Republic of China.

IACA trainings blend theory and practice by including lectures, workshops, case studies, and team-building exercises, complemented on many occasions by study visits to international organizations and government bodies. Furthermore, they are always delivered by renowned international experts in the field.

IACA campus has been well attended with master students coming to Laxenburg for the in-class modules. In the case of the MACS 2018 - 2020 class, they completed their fifth module on Corruption, Compliance, and the Private Sector last October. MACS and IMACC 2019 - 2021 classes were on campus in November for their first in-class modules, following the self-study pre-module phase.

IACA celebrated the graduation of its fifth Master in Anti-Corruption Studies (MACS) class and its first International Master in Anti-Corruption Compliance and Collective Action (IMACC) class in a festive ceremony at its Laxenburg campus on 6 December, on the eve of the International Anti-Corruption Day.

The new graduates come from: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Brazil, China, India, Kosovo, Liberia, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Togo, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Zambia. Their professional backgrounds are equally diverse; they work in government ministries, anti-corruption commissions, international organizations, private companies, law enforcement bodies, and NGOs.

IACA’s Officer-in-Charge, Ms. Christiane Pohn-Hufnagl, strongly encouraged graduates to engage with IACA’s alumni network of anti-corruption and compliance professionals in more than 160 countries/jurisdictions.

She also expressed her gratitude for the generosity of the Austrian Development Agency and the Siemens Integrity Initiative for having provided scholarships that enabled students, particularly those from Least Developed Countries, to join the IMACC and MACS programmes.