SPECIAL SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

&

CORRUPTION

When, where and who:

The Special Summit of the Americas was held in Monterrey, Mexico on January 12-13, 2004 bringing together the democratically elected Heads of State and Government of the members countries of the Organization of American States.

Purpose :

The goal of the Special Summit was to facilitate hemispheric cooperation at the highest level of government in order to address current economic, social and political challenges in the region. Approximately one third of Heads of State and Government in the Hemisphere have assumed office since the Third Summit of the Americas held in Quebec City in April 2001. The agenda of the Special Summit focused on three issues:

Ø Economic Growth with Equity to Reduce Poverty

Ø Social Development

Ø Democratic Governance

"We recognize that corruption and impunity weaken public and private institutions, erode social values, undermine the rule of law, and distort economies and the allocation of resources for development. Therefore, we pledge to intensify our efforts to combat corruption and other unethical practices in the public and/or private sectors, strengthening a culture of transparency and ensuring more efficient public management.” Declaration of Nuevo León

The Declaration of Nuevo Leon:

The Declaration contains 76 paragraphs reflecting the policies and decisions adopted by the leaders on the three Summit topics. For example, in economic growth, they made a commitment to implement sound macroeconomic policies, to create an enabling environment for the private sector, and to reduce the costs of remittances. In the area of social development, the Heads of State recognized that the main challenge is the elimination of poverty, hunger, and inequality. They reiterated that a decisive factor for human development is education and also committed to taking the appropriate measures to reduce the threat of HIV/AIDS. In the area of democratic governance, the leaders of the Americas expressed their support for the Declaration of Santiago on Democracy and Citizens Confidence, as well as their respect for the rule of law, strengthening political parties, and defending human rights. They also committed to fight corruption and acknowledged the role of civil society in the design, execution, and evaluation of public policies.

Corruption:

In the Declaration of Nuevo León, the Heads of State and Government reaffirmed their political will to fight corruption, committing to strengthen the follow-up mechanism of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, and intensify their efforts to combat unethical practices in the public and private sectors. They also committed to promote transparency in political processes, in public financial management, and in government transactions, procurement processes, and contracts.

The leaders of the Americas highlighted the value of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and encouraged its promotion and ratification. They underscored the importance of rules to ensure the transparency of party finances, to prevent corruption and the risk of undue influence. They agreed to increase transparency in the international organizations of which they are members, by strengthening their accountability mechanisms. In the Declaration of Nuevo Leon, 9 out of 30 paragraphs in its Democratic Governance chapter are dedicated to the issue of corruption.