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REMARKS AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE “INTER-AMERICAN CONVENTION AGAINST CORRUPTION AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN SURINAME”

Paramaribo, Suriname,December 15, 2003

Dr. Enrique Lagos

Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs

Organization of American States

It is a great honor for me to be present here, in Paramaribo, and to deliver the opening remarks on the occasion of this National Conference on the Inter-American Convention against Corruption and its Implementation in Suriname.

Permit me to begin, by first, thanking all the authorities present. In particular, I would like to thank the Minister of Justice and Police, His Excellency Siegfried Gilds, – unfortunately His Excellency is unable to be present today, – however, in his place I would like to thank His Excellency Clifford Marica, Minister of Labor, Technological Development and Environment, for his invaluable participation. Your presence here today underscores and confirms the importance the government of Suriname accords to the fight against corruption.

I would also like to thank theActing Attorney General, Mr. Punwasi, Members of Parliament, of the governing and opposition parties, the Diplomatic corp and all other invited guests, for your presence and participation in this Conference.

Likewise, I wish to express our special recognition to the Office of the OAS General Secretariat in Suriname,and in particular to the Director himself, Ambassador Kingsley Layne, for his support and collaboration with respect to the organization of this Conference.

By way of perspectives, this National Conference is part of a hemispheric initiative of which the OAS has been at the forefront. This initiative is possible, thanks to the cooperation funds provided by the Government of the United States. Its main goal is to promote the implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, and the initiative was developed in compliance with the mandates adopted both, by the Heads of State and Government at the Summits of the Americas,and by the OAS General Assembly.

In a very real sense, it is almost impossible to over-emphasize the significance and the importance of this conference. With no intention on my part to exhaust the subject, permit me to take this opportunity to present a brief outline as to why the OAS considers the fight against corruption a priority in the Americas and to highlight the importance of this meeting as an essential part of the process.

Why does the OAS consider that the fight against corruption is so important? A host of reasons can be identified. Allow me to point to three of these:

The first has to do with something that is of the essence of the Inter-American System today: the preservation and strengthening of democracy. Thiswas ratified by all the States of the Hemisphere in adopting the “Inter-American Democratic Charter”, in which they expressed that transparency in government activities; probity; responsible public administration on the part of governments; respect for social rights; and freedom of expression and of the press, are essential components in the exercise of democracy.

It is evident that corruption is a terrible cancer that undermines the legitimacy of institutions and the Rule of Law, and on this matter there is still a long road ahead to travel in the Americas.

The second reason for which we must combat corruption in this Hemisphere has to do with the enormous social costs caused by this problem. On this subject, many studies have shown that the principal victims of corruption are the poor. That is why, at the OAS, we consider the fight against corruption to be fundamental to the success in combating poverty as well as in the establishment of Social Justice.

The third reason has to do with the dramatic negative effects of corruption on trade, economic growth and development. Numerous studies have confirmed that, as the levels of corruption escalate in a country, the level of investment decreases and thus the rate of economic growth declines. In a word, if we are to foster economic development, meaning if we are to improve technology; finance capital formation; increase output and incomes, generate employment, maintain or improve the quality of life of the people of our hemisphere, it is imperative that, acting together as a hemisphere, we launch a systematic, coordinated, unrelenting attack on corruption.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, if we have a meeting of minds on the above -and I believe very deeply that we do, then it is easy for us to appreciate why the fight against corruption has been such a constant preoccupation in the Americas. Indeed, at the first summit held in Miami, in 1994, the Heads of State and Government of the Hemisphere, agreed to negotiate a treaty for strengthening cooperation among the Member States to combat this problem.

As a result of this decision, the countries adopted the Inter-American Convention against Corruption in Caracas, Venezuela, within the framework of an OAS Special Conference in 1996.

This treaty was not only the first legal instrument on this subject, but it still stands as the treaty which expresses the most integral and complete conception of the fight against this phenomenon.

Bearing this in mind, it was not surprising that this treaty was among the most speedily ratified by the majority of the States of the Hemisphere. Specifically, 29 of the 34 OAS Member States have ratified this Convention to date.

Furthermore, the commitment of the countries has not ended there. In most states, previous laws have been amended or new ones enacted in order to adjust their domestic legislation to the provisions of the Convention and to assure its effective implementation.

In accordance with the above, and in compliance with the mandates of the Summits of the Americas and the General Assembly, the OAS General Secretariat has been supporting the States through cooperation activities, such as the one we are having today.

As noted earlier, the Conference is part of that Hemispheric initiative towards supporting States in their efforts in the legislative implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, with special attention given to the adjustment of their national criminal legislation.

In facilitating that process in the case of Suriname, we rely on the comparative study prepared by OAS consultants, Mr. Eric Rudge and Mr. Jimmy Kasdipowidjojo, to whom I would like to convey the gratitude of the General Secretariat for their collaboration in this initiative. Moreover, this National Conference has the unique situation of having as a fundamental part of the forthcoming discussions an official Draft Anti-Corruption Act.

I am confident that this piece of draft legislation is a good foundation for your deliberations and that it shall be enriched and improved upon by your contributions.

As the OAS, our role in this process is merely that of facilitators. Our interest, of course, is that this treaty becomes an effective instrument in the fight against corruption.

It is up to you, the participants, as citizens of Suriname, to analyze the Draft Anti-Corruption Act, to compare it with the Convention and to make specific recommendations as to the amendments that should be adopted.

Our hope is that at the end of this Conference, decisions will be made on the specific proposals which must be adopted to advance into the legislative implementation of the Convention in Suriname-and that the proposals which go forward will find a welcome echo with the political authorities when the time comes for their adoption.

I am certain that this will be a very productive day of work.

At the OAS, as it is expressed in the Convention, we conceived the fight against corruption as a process and an integral policy. In that sense, we do not think that laws alone are sufficient to end corruption; but we deeply believe that they are an important instrument to advance the search of this objective.

Corruption is not a road of no return. For that reason, I am certain that the results of this Conference will allow us to take firm steps to confirm this conviction – a conviction which I am assured, you all share.

Thank you for your attention.