Report of the Mauritian Delegation to the 7th Conference of State Parties to the UNCAC held in Vienna from 6 to 10 November 2017
A delegation led by the Director General of the Independent Commission Against Corruption attended the 7th Conference of the States Parties (COSP) in Vienna which was held as from the 6 to 10 November 2017.
The COSP is the main policy-making body of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Its objectives are to improve the capacity of States to implement the Convention, to enhance cooperation among States in achieving the objectives of the Convention, and to promote and review the implementation of the Convention.
The Conference meets every two years in a member state and adopts resolutions and decisions for the implementation of the UNCAC.
The Director General’s speech to the Plenary Assembly COSP referred briefly to the implementation by Mauritius of the provisions of the Convention and to the Government’s commitment to review the entire financial crime, including corruption, legislative and institutional framework in an effort to strengthen the fight against corruption. He referred to the Working Group set up under the Financial Secretary to carry out this review and to make recommendations to the Government. The DG also invited members to start reflecting on the issue of effectiveness in the fight against corruption as an area most likely to be of some importance in the future.
The Director General was also invited to be the main Discussant in a side event to the COSP organised by the International Anti-Corruption Academy, on “Development of Anti-Corruption Compliance and Collective Action: Modern Challenges and Trends”.
In the margins, the delegation had bilateral meetings with the following the Minister of Agriculture from Zambia, the rep of Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Madagascar, and the CEO of the IACA to discuss cooperation among their anti-corruption agencies. The delegation also met with the Head of the anti-corruption Department of the UNODC, Mr Dimitri Vlassis and thanked him for his support in different technical assistance activities to Mauritius. He was particularly interested in Mauritius’s Statement regarding the issue of effectiveness.
The ICAC was also invited by the UNODC Civil Society Team to make a presentation on the successful collaboration of the Civil Society in the UNCAC Review Process. The ICAC provided a showcase of the Partnership Approach and its All-Inclusive Strategy it has adopted to involve members of the Civil Society in the fight against corruption and its participation in the UNCAC Review Process.