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Be a Leader in the Fight Against Corruption: Register for GOPAC Manila 2013 |
The 5th Global Conference of Parliamentarians Against Corruption will be the most important anti-corruption gathering of parliamentarians of the year. A three-day global gathering, from 31 January to 02 February 2013 in Manila Philippines, the Global Conference will bring together hundreds of GOPAC members and partners from all over the world, and will feature the world’s parliamentary leaders, internationally-recognised anti-corruption experts, and the heads of some of the most important international institutions.
REGISTER ONLINE: www.gopacmanila2013.com
For further queries: info@gopacmanila2013.com
Together we will engage in thought-provoking discussions on anti-corruption issues that will not only guide the strategic direction of GOPAC and our membership but also shape the landscape of our battle to rid the world of corruption.
The line-up of Global Conference speakers will be headlined by no less than President Beni-
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gno S. Aquino (Philippines), who is joined by Ms Shamshad Akhtar (UN Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development), Mr. Dimitri Vlassis (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), the Hon. Nurhayati Ali Assegaf (Indonesia), the Hon. Amadou Bouare (Mali), the Hon. Roy Cullen (Canada), the Hon. Ghassan Moukheiber (Lebanon), Ombusman Conchita Carpio-Morales (Philippines), Dr. Huguette Labelle (President of Transparency International), Mr. Hamid Sharif (Asian Development Bank), Prof. Barry O’Keefe (Australia), Prof. Peter Loney (Australia), Mr. Kyle Wombolt (Herbert Smith Freehills), Mr. Greg Power (Global Partners & Associates), Prof. John Nye (George Mason University), and Prof. Alberto Simpser (University of Chicago).
The conference is the joint initiative of the Senate of Philippines, GOPAC, the South East Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption and the GOPAC National Chapter in the Philippines.
We look forward to welcoming you to Manila and the conference that will change the face of the fight against corruption. |
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Power to the People: Parliamentarians, Citizens, and Anti-Corruption |
Corruption thrives in the shadows and withers in the light of public scrutiny. It is therefore critical – especially in new democracies – for parliamentarians to engage with civil society, the media, and political parties in the fight for ethical government.
In November, GOPAC participated in the 15th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Brasilia, Brazil with the objective of uniting parliamentarians and civil society actors in a collaborative international fight against corruption. In addition to bringing the perspective of parliamentarians to the IACC sessions, GOPAC also organised a special parliamentary panel held on the final day of the conference.
GOPAC’s panel of experts was made up of: Dr. Naser Al Sane, GOPAC Chair and a former parliamentarian from Kuwait; Ricardo Garcia Cervantes, GOPAC Vice-Chair and former senator from Mexico; Fernanda Borges, Chair of GOPAC Timor Leste and a former MP from
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that country; and John Williams, GOPAC’s CEO. In addition, more than 50 parliamentarians from around the world and still more members of civil society participated from the audience.
The panellists and panel attendees discussed the role of parliamentarians in combatting corruption, the means through which parliamentarians and civil society can collaborate, and techniques each group can use to further our shared agenda for good government.
GOPAC members were active throughout the IACC, and brought from all corners of the globe, including five of our six regional chapters: GOPAC America Latina y el Caribe, Arab Parliamentarians Against Corruption (ARPAC), African Parliamentary Network Against Corruption (APNAC) and South East Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC).
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Solidifying Partnerships in the Fight Against Corruption |
On the last day of the 15th International Anti-Corruption Conference, GOPAC Chair, Dr. Naser Al Sane, and the Chair of Transparency International (TI), Dr. Huguette Labelle, signed a landmark Collaboration Framework Agreement between the two organizations.
Under the agreement, GOPAC and TI are committed to developing mutually coherent approaches to combatting corruption and promoting transparency and good governance. Together, they will address issues of national, regional, and global governance.
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GOPAC and TI will engage in joint advocacy on anti-corruption issues and will identify opportunities for information-sharing, knowledge exchanges, and consultations. They will also work on strengthening parliamentarians as key anti-corruption agents, and on promoting parliamentarians’ active participation in anti-corruption reforms. Finally, they will help parliamentarians to take a more active role in global and regional anti-corruption initiatives.
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GOPAC Latina America y el Caribe Builds Capacity in Brazil |
GOPAC will soon be adding a new national chapter to our global network. At the beginning of November, GOPAC Vice-President and Chair of GOPAC America Latina y el Caribe, Ricardo Garcia Cervantes, appealed to members of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate to join the global anti-corruption battle and form a GOPAC national chapter.
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In a series of meetings with legislators from across Brazil’s political spectrum, Mr Garcia Cervantes met with Rep. Antonio Carlos Mendes Thame, Rep. Luiz Pitiman, Rep. Edmar Arruda, Rep. Efraim Filho, and Sen. Humberto Costa. As a result of these meetings, the Brazilian legislators agreed to hold a summit in the Chamber of Deputies to finalise the creation of a GOPAC national chapter for their country.
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Anti-corruption Self-Assessment Workshop in Burkina Faso |
With the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Burkindi Network, GOPAC’s national chapter in Burkina Faso, developed a self-assessment tool to help diagnose their country’s progress against corruption, and to help develop a strategy for future efforts. In September, the government of Burkina Faso supported the Burkindi Network in organizing a workshop in Ouagadougou, to validate the tool and share the initiative with government bodies, civil, and the media.
The workshop used the new tool to encourage parliamentarians to take a more active role in the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) review mechanism. It reinforced the Burkindi Network’s commit-
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ment to working in concert with their government Executive as well as with national oversight bodies.
Fatoumata Diendéré, the second Vice-President of the National Assembly, urged the Burkindi Network to continue to strengthen its capacity to contribute effectively to the fight against corruption, and to grasp the depth of the concerns of people suffering the effects of corruption.
The meeting concluded successfully, with participants committing to establish a steering committee uniting the Burkindi Network with representatives of government bodies and civil society.
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Parliamentary Ethics and Conduct Workshop in Morocco |
On 14 November, members of GOPAC Morocco came together to develop a new Code of Conduct for their country’s parliamentarians. The exercise was supported by GOPAC’s regional chapter, Arab Parliamentarians Against Corruption (ARPAC), and by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.
GOPAC Chair, Dr. Naser Al Sane, chaired a session in which presenters shared other countries’ experiences in parliamentary ethics and code of conduct systems. Dr. Sean Farren, former Minister and former Member of the
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Northern Ireland Assembly, and Ms Fazela Mahomed, South Africa’s Registrar of Members Interests, spoke on the experiences of their respective countries.
The Westminster Foundation for Democracy will provide Morocco’s parliament with recommendations flowing from these discussions. The workshop is part of a series championed by ARPAC, to promote vigorous codes of conducts in countries across the region.
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