Date: 2024-04-28 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00007293
Events
IACC Conference ... October 2014 in Tunis
Background for presenting panel proposals
Burgess COMMENTARY
Peter Burgess
Call for Session Proposals The IACC welcomes Game Changer Session Proposals related to and inspired by the Conference Theme Ending Impunity: People, Integrity, Action, and the various Agenda Tracks which are explained below. Proposals are to be submitted electronically here. You can download these instructions in pdf here: IACC Call for Session Proposals. Don’t hesitate to email us should you have any questions: iacc[at]transparency.org. ACCESS THE SESSION PROPOSAL FORM Timeframe Session proposals are welcome from 5th May until 5th June 2014. Proposals are to be submitted online. The Mission The Brasilia Declaration in 2012 set the tone for the future of the anti-corruption movement:
The theme for the IACC in Tunis 2014 has been designed to respond to the collective objectives set in Brasilia and to set the agenda for the anti-corruption movement as a whole for the years to come. Theme Rationale Governments plagued by cronyism, leaders who rewrite constitutions to extend term limits, democracies in thrall to special interests for an elite few: This all creates a climate where impunity protects the corrupt. Impunity for corruption prevails too often around the globe in countries both rich and poor; in countries blessed with natural resources and others plagued by recession. We see an increasing inequality and lack of justice. It takes courage and collective action to ensure those with power who commit crimes are brought to justice. If the corrupt are allowed to rise above justice, we risk the dissolution of society and the collapse of rule of law. We risk losing the fight against corruption. We need a culture of integrity in all sectors of society to achieve sustained, positive change. We need people with integrity taking action together. At the 16th IACC, we aim to make this happen. In Tunis, the cradle of the Arab Spring, from 21- 24 October 2014, we will unite and respond through appropriate and coordinated action. We will break the silence against impunity. People in government, civil society, the private sector, journalists, young people and social innovators will come together to forge innovative anti-corruption solutions to end impunity. Where we see failures in our public services, the judiciary, police, and education that let the corrupt go unpunished, we will look for ways to change the system. Where we see crime in the global financial system and corruption in natural resource management, we will seek ways to find redress and prevent further abuses. The 16th IACC is driven by People. Integrity. Action. 2,000 anti-corruption fighters from more than 130 countries and all sectors of society will meet and take stock of where we are in the fight to end corruption and were we need to be to bring impunity to an end. Together we will create positive and lasting change. Goal The IACC’s goal is to support, empower and engage people from all sectors and countries to stand up against impunity for corruption. Objectives Showcase game-changing anti-corruption solutions and the people behind them Connect people from around the world and across sectors to generate innovative solutions against corruption Engage new audiences in the fight against corruption Session Formats The thematic agenda for the 16th IACC working sessions is framed in two different formats for you to choose from: 1) Game Changers Interactive Circles Format: Fishbowl style, interactive circle set-up, kicks off with a short inspirational speech. Needs a good facilitator. 90 Minutes of discussion. Lengthy presentations and powerpoints discouraged. 2) Game Changers Panel Debate Format: Traditional panel set up, less presentations and more discussion ideal, needs a good moderator. 90 Minutes of discussion. Working Questions Each session should be solution-oriented and specify both the session purpose and, importantly, what follow-up actions the session aims to achieve. Sessions are encouraged, where appropriate, to address the following cross-cutting working questions: Beyond impunity: what structural changes are needed to prevent impunity in the future? What international collaboration is needed to address/stop impunity? What actions can be taken that may disrupt and affect behaviour that exists thanks to impunity? How can one mobilise society against impunity? What enables people to act/operate with impunity? Agenda Tracks Track I Ending Impunity: People, Integrity, Action How to trigger change against impunity for corruption? To win the fight against corruption and promote social justice we must join forces and ensure that those who abuse their power do not get away with it. People pressure, political will and collective action have proven to be decisive factors for positive change – we see that across continents – but risks and challenges for those taking a stand against the corrupt remain immense. This ‘Game Changers’ thematic stream can discuss how the global community can promote greater people engagement to understand the effects of impunity on people, and to ensure security and justice for all, especially for those who stand up and take action against impunity for corruption. Sessions can ideally look at how to hold the corrupt to account when too often it is the corrupt that wield the power, both economic and political. Topics related to this track can include but are not limited to: civic mobilisation and empowerment, people power, support and protection, online tools and new technologies, open data, social accountability, youth engagement, open government, political and social sanctioning Track II From Impunity to Justice: Transitions that Restore the Trust of the People How to meet the expectations of the people who stood up for lasting change? Across the world we see a reinvigorated belief that political change is possible and anyone can make a difference. But these political shifts are just the beginning of a long uncertain road. While many regimes have fallen in the recent years, justice, accountability and reparation promises need to meet the expectations of the people who stood up for change. This thematic stream aims to address challenges and solutions on impunity for corruption and how to build strong independent institutions that are key conditions to ensure fair, accountable and democratic governments. The outcomes of sessions under this track should aim to produce a set of recommendations to sustain positive change for people after regime change. Topics related to this track can include but are not limited to: human rights and corruption, threats to democratic and accountable institutions, institutional building, stolen asset recovery, transitional justice, political capture, political financing, elections. Track III Aid, Foreign Direct Investment and Human Security: Room for Corruption? How to root out corruption in our quest to end extreme poverty? Corruption only makes the rich richer and the poor poorer; it fuels conflict and violence, destroys nature and ultimately hurts those who are in most need. Despite the benefits that foreign direct investment can bring and the progress made by many countries in a number of MDGs, grand scale corruption, natural resources depletion, illicit financial flows and tax evasion are impeding significant progress in our quest for peace, equality and social justice. But how can we ensure that anti-corruption and transparency take the central stage in foreign aid and direct investment? Sessions under this thematic stream should discuss why transparency, accountability and integrity are at the core of human security. The session outcomes will ideally design key recommendations for fair and transparent foreign direct investment and for the post 2015 Development Goals. Topics related to this track can include but are not limited to: domestic and international investment, development aid, , health, gender, education, water, food and service delivery, land management, natural resources, oil, mining and energy markets, climate governance. Track IV Rooting Out Dirty Money from the Financial World Are we witnessing a tipping point in the world of money? Increasingly, international organisations and governments are recognising the real cost of dirty money in the financial system: illicit financial outflows from poor countries dwarf aid and investment, ever-powerful criminal networks launder money through offshores havens, shell companies and secrecy jurisdictions facilitate massive tax evasion to the detriment of cash-strapped national budgets, to name a few. Each a driving force behind the global financial crisis. Sessions under this thematic stream aim to engage multi-sector experts to critically reflect upon the current state of affairs in the world of money. Acknowledging the steps that banks, businesses, civil society and governments are taking to stem illicit flows, sessions should design solutions on what needs to be done to ensure that dirty money is rooted out from the global financial system. Topics related to this track can include but are not limited to: beneficial ownership & shell companies, legal loopholes allowing transnational corruption, tax havens, illicit networks, organised crime, defence and security, money laundering, illicit flows. Track V The Business Case for Countering Corruption How can companies and their leaders contribute to the fight against corruption? Businesses will take the fight against corruption seriously if they feel it is in the own interest, if they fear effective anti-corruption laws or out of the pressure to respond to social expectations. The most effective way therefore to incentivise the corporate world to become part of the solution is either by governments ensuring a level playing field while enforcing appropriate sanctions or via the necessary amount of pressure from the public. Sessions will bring together leaders of the business world who have chosen to adopt stringent anti-corruption policies, implementation programmes as well as social and environmental responsibility strategies. Some will have emerged from corruption scandals, others will have chosen to implement them as prevention strategies. From the sessions we will learn what incentives and sanctions are most effective in the business world and how corporate behaviour can be further improved by hearing about best practices. Topics related to this track can include but are not limited to: business integrity principles, collective action, sanctions and incentives, anti-bribery mechanisms and regulatory frameworks, environment social and governance (ESG) standards, consumer boycotting, settlements and social damage, blacklisting and debarment, risk management, due diligence and anti-corruption prevention, lobbying, anti-corruption legislation. Track VI Investigating & Exposing the Truth: Towards a new Paradigm Now more than ever ordinary citizens, journalists and advocates from all fields have the necessary tools to blow the whistle on corruption. A few clicks can enable anyone to expose corruption globally; an emerging culture of collaboration allows investigative journalists to uncover systemic international corruption cases while advocates from around the world increasingly use journalism style investigations to strengthen their advocacy work. But despite this progress, or perhaps because of this progress, the risks for those who speak out are bigger than ever. Effective collaboration between these groups remains weak. The purpose of these sessions is twofold: By identifying the main barriers that prevent citizens, journalists and advocates from working together more effectively these sessions aim to produce concrete recommendations for the global community at large to take on. In looking at supporting those who speak out against corruption, sessions will identify the concrete actions the global community needs to embrace in order to reverse an increasingly dangerous national and international environment. Topics related to this track can include but are not limited to: investigative journalism, leaks, whistleblowing, collective action, film and documentary, freedom of expression and information, digital security, cross-border investigations, open data‘It is up to all of us in government, business and society to embrace transparency so that it ensures full participation of all people, bringing us together to send a clear message: We are watching those who act with impunity and we will not let them get away with it’