International Anti-Corruption Academy
Encyclopedia
The International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) is an international organization
International organization
An intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...

 (effective 8 March 2011), whose purpose is to address the current shortcomings in the fight against corruption
Corruption
Corruption usually refers to spiritual or moral impurity.Corruption may also refer to:* Corruption , an American crime film* Corruption , a British horror film...

. Located in Laxenburg
Laxenburg
Laxenburg is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, near Vienna.- History :The place is well-known for its castle, Schloss Laxenburg, which, beside Schönbrunn, was the most important summer seat of the Habsburg dynasty....

, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, IACA currently offers standardized and tailor-made training sessions, and academic degree programmes are scheduled to commence in 2012.

History

IACA was originally initiated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is a United Nations agency that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division in the United Nations...

, the Republic of Austria, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), as well as other stakeholders.
35 UN Member States
United Nations member states
There are 193 United Nations member states, and each of them is a member of the United Nations General Assembly.The criteria for admission of new members are set out in the United Nations Charter, Chapter II, Article 4, as follows:...

 and one international organization
International organization
An intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...

 signed the Agreement for the Establishment of IACA as an International Organization during the Academy’s Inaugural Conference held at the Hofburg in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 on 2 and 3 September 2010. The Conference was attended by more than 1,000 participants from over 120 UN Member States and over 25 organizations and institutions from the private
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...

 and business sector
Business sector
In economics, the business sector is a subset of the domestic economy excluding the economic activities of general government, private households, and nonprofit organizations serving individuals. In the United States the business sector accounted for about 78 percent of the value of gross domestic...

s, as well as civil society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...

, academia
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...

 and the media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...

. UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...

, delivered the inaugural speech. Since the Inaugural Conference, 16 additional UN Member States and one more international organization became signatories to the IACA Agreement, making a total of 53 Founding Members. The first round of signatures closed on 31 December 2010, and as of 1 January 2011, states and international organizations have the possibility to accede to the Agreement. The 53 signatory landmark reached has made IACA one of the most successful international initiatives ever.

Up to date (01.12.2011), 21 Parties have ratified the founding agreement and four have acceeded to it.

Location

The Academy is located in Laxenburg
Laxenburg
Laxenburg is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, near Vienna.- History :The place is well-known for its castle, Schloss Laxenburg, which, beside Schönbrunn, was the most important summer seat of the Habsburg dynasty....

, Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...

, on the southern outskirts of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

. The Vienna city centre can be reached within 25 minutes and Vienna International Airport
Vienna International Airport
Vienna International Airport , located in Schwechat and southeast of central Vienna, is the busiest and biggest airport in Austria. It is often referred to as Schwechat, the name of the county it is in. The airport is capable of handling wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus A340...

 is also close by. Vienna International Centre
Vienna International Centre
right|250px|thumb|Vienna International Centre . The [[UNO-City|Austria Center Vienna]] can be seen at the far left in the middle distance....

, which hosts several UN entities, is approximately 20 minutes away from Laxenburg. The premises, located in the Palais Kaunitz-Wittgenstein, date back to the 17th century, and have been adapted into a state-of-the-art training facility.

Aims and Functions

As explicitly defined in the Agreement for the Establishment of IACA as an International Organization, the Academy’s goal is to become a centre for excellence, training, cooperation and academic research in the area of corruption
Corruption
Corruption usually refers to spiritual or moral impurity.Corruption may also refer to:* Corruption , an American crime film* Corruption , a British horror film...

. The Academy aims to contribute to the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)
United Nations Convention against Corruption
The United Nations Convention against Corruption is the first legally binding international anti-corruption instrument. In its 8 Chapters and 71 Articles, the UNCAC obliges its States Parties to implement a wide and detailed range of anti-corruption measures affecting their laws, institutions and...

 and other relevant regional and international legal instruments (OECD Anti-Bribery Convention
OECD Anti-Bribery Convention
The OECD Anti-Bribery Convention is a convention of the OECD aimed at reducing corruption in developing countries by encouraging sanctions against bribery in international business transactions carried out by companies based in the Convention member countries...

, African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption
African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption
The African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption was adopted in Maputo on 11 July 2003 to fight rampant political corruption on the African continent. It represents regional consensus on what African states should do in the areas of prevention, criminalization, international...

, Inter-American Convention against Corruption
Inter-American Convention Against Corruption
The Inter-American Convention Against Corruption was adopted by the member countries of the Organization of American States on 29 March 1996; it came into force on 6 March 1997....

, Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO)
Group of States Against Corruption
The Group of States against Corruption , the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption monitoring body with its Headquarters in Strasbourg ,...

).

Programmes and Activities

In line with its holistic inter-disciplinary approach, IACA will offer (academic degree) programmes, tailor-made trainings, as well as research activities; all geared towards a wide range of professions from the public to the private domain, from all corners of the world. Since the fall of 2010 IACA has co-organized a variety of seminars with other bodies, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is a United Nations agency that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division in the United Nations...

, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...

, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...

, World Food Programme (WFP)
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...

 and the Basel Institute on Governance. From 30 June to 9 July IACA's International Anti-Corruption Summer Academy (IACSA) convened. The first academic degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...

 programme, a Master in Anti-Corruption Studies, is scheduled to commence in 2012.

Advisory Boards

IACA is guided by two advisory boards. The International Senior Advisory Board (ISAB) brings together up to fifteen eminent anti-corruption experts from all regions of the globe. Its function is to devise activities for the Academy and advise how to achieve the highest standards for IACA to become a centre of excellence. The International Academic Advisory Board (IAAB) consists of nine renowned academics and experts advising IACA on the development of its curricula and faculty composition.

International Cooperation

IACA intends to seek broad partnerships with public and private sector institutions, including academia, civil society and NGOs, as well as anti-corruption networks such as the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA)
International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities
International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities is a non-governmental organization established as a result of the special meeting held at the UN Office in Vienna on 19–20 April 2006. Its headquarters is in Beijing, China...

, the European Partners against Corruption (EPAC), and other stakeholders around the world. A full list of the Academy's partners is available on the IACA website, .

Membership

Fifty one UN Member States and two international organizations have signed the IACA Agreement. Twenty-one Parties have thus far ratified it and four have acceeded to it.

According to Article XVIII of the Agreement for the Establishment of the International Anti-Corruption Academy as an International Organization, it was open for signature by UN Member States and international organizations until 31 December 2010. Article XVIII further stipulates that states and international organizations which have not signed the Agreement until 31 December 2010 may subsequently accede thereto. All instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession must be deposited with the Depositary of the Agreement (the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria
Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (Austria)
The Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs is Austria's foreign ministry and, therefore, responsible for its relations with foreign countries as well as international organisations, especially the European Union...

) only. For every state or international organization which accepts, ratifies, approves or accedes to the Agreement, the Agreement shall enter into force sixty days after the date of deposit of its respective instrument. All instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval and accession must be signed either by the Head of State
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...

, Head of Government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...

 or the Minister of Foreign Affairs in accordance with domestic law, or, in the case of an international organization, by the competent authority of that organization.

Documents of Endorsement

IACA was explicitly welcomed, inter alia, by the UN General Assembly Resolution 64/237, the Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...

 Resolution 2009/22, the Resolutions 3/2 and 3/4 of the 3rd Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)
United Nations Convention against Corruption
The United Nations Convention against Corruption is the first legally binding international anti-corruption instrument. In its 8 Chapters and 71 Articles, the UNCAC obliges its States Parties to implement a wide and detailed range of anti-corruption measures affecting their laws, institutions and...

, the Official Records of the Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...

, 2009, Supplement No.10 (E/2009/30), the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council, JAI 473 (M.A.D.R.I.D. report)., and by the Recommendations of the Third Meeting of the Conference of States Parties of the Mechanism for Follow-up on Implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption
Inter-American Convention Against Corruption
The Inter-American Convention Against Corruption was adopted by the member countries of the Organization of American States on 29 March 1996; it came into force on 6 March 1997....

 - Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...

.

External links

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