About us
History
IACA became an international organization on
8 March 2011
About Us
History
IACA became an international organization
on 8 March 2011
The Inaugural Conference
IACA was initiated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), INTERPOL, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the Republic of Austria, and other stakeholders.
The idea of an international anti-corruption academy arose out of INTERPOL’s International Group of Experts on Corruption, which at the time included Martin Kreutner, who became IACA’s first Dean, Michael Hershman, Chairperson of IACA’s International Senior Advisory Board, and the late Franz-Hermann Brüner, Director-General of OLAF at the time. The adoption of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2005 and its subsequent implementation in many countries also played an influential role.
From Vision to Reality
The official launch of the Academy came about in 2010. On 2 and 3 September, the Inaugural Conference, “From Vision to Reality”, took place in Vienna, Austria, having witnessed the participation of over 1,000 delegates from UN Member States, international organizations, NGOs, the private sector, civil society, and academia. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was the guest of honour. The conference culminated in the signing of the Agreement for the Establishment of the International Anti-Corruption Academy as an International Organization by 35 UN Member States and one international organization.
By 31 December 2010, the last day the agreement was open for signature, 50 UN Member States and three international organizations had signed it. In this regard IACA represented one of the most successful international initiatives in history. It gained the status of an international organization on 8 March 2011 and has since witnessed an ever-growing number of Parties and partners.