Udenrigsudvalget 2014-15 (2. samling)
URU Alm.del Bilag 11
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Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption
255 Albert Street, Suite 904, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6A9 Canada
www.gopacnetwork.org
Sixth Global Conference of Parliamentarians against Corruption
- Program Brief -
Theme:
Bringing perpetrators of grand corruption to justice for a sustainable world where all
citizens can live in prosperity and dignity
Justice, Dignity and Prosperity
The GOPAC membership unanimously mandated GOPAC to establish grand corruption as
a crime at international law, to enable international institutions and alliances to
apprehend, prosecute, judge, and sentence the guilty. This mandate was unanimously
adopted at the
Fifth Global Conference of Parliamentarians Against Corruption,
held in
Manila, Philippines, in February 2013. The issue was further explored in a
discussion paper
released by GOPAC in mid-November 2013, and again at the
Forum of Parliamentarians,
an event parallel to the Fifth Conference of States Parties to the United Nations
Convention Against Corruption, at the end of November 2013. Participants at the forum
unanimously adopted a Declaration that set out GOPAC’s path to take this issue forward.
GOPAC is now recognized as the lead organization working against grand corruption, due
to the firm decisions taken by our membership.
In addition, in September 2015 the United Nations will adopt its Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG). Goal 16 includes commitments to accountability and fighting corruption.
GOPAC believes that combatting grand corruption is not only a keystone to achieving the
SDGs but is also part of a larger agenda for justice. There can be no sustainable
development without measures to fight corruption.
Our theme for the Sixth Global Conference will further consolidate our position on these
issues and continue to build momentum. It will create a brand that will resonate with our
members and anti-corruption stakeholders. In addition, due to the complexity and broad
nature of the fight against grand corruption and its relationship to the SDGs, our panel
sessions will incorporate issues relating to our Global Task Forces as well as our regional
and national chapters.
Tagline:
Motivation:
Panel Sessions:
The Sixth Global Conference of Parliamentarians will include six panel sessions (2 running
concurrently). Below are suggestions for topics, as well as potential speakers and
moderators.
Session 1: Stop Stealing from Us: Tools and mechanism to build anti-corruption
prevention systems
 URU, Alm.del - 2014-15 (2. samling) - Bilag 11: Invitation til konference om korruptionsbekæmpelse den 6. - 8. oktober 2015 i Indonesien
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Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption
255 Albert Street, Suite 904, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6A9 Canada
www.gopacnetwork.org
This panel will look at existing tools to prevent crimes of grand corruption before they can
happen. It will provide participants with knowledge of the United Nations Convention
Against Corruption (UNCAC) processes, both internationally and domestically, and what
steps legislators can take to prevent kleptocrats from capturing state institutions. In
particular it will examine the international cooperation section of the UNCAC and existing
mechanisms in place in Europe through GRECO. It will also provide participants with a
country perspective from Ukraine.
Session 2: Grand Corruption: Let us bring them to justice
In
GOPAC’s discussion paper,
released in lead-up with the Forum of Parliamentarians held
in Panama in 2013, GOPAC outlined the mechanisms the international community could
use to bring to justice those who commit crimes of grand corruption: universal
jurisdiction, regional courts, an international treaty, and a free-standing anti-corruption
court. This panel will further exam these options with an emphasis on implementation. It
will also discuss the actions national legislators can take in the international arena.
Session 3: Paralysing Grand Corruption and Recovering Stolen Assets
This panel will invite civil society to the conversation and examine partnerships that can
be formed to help citizens who have been victims of grand corruption. Panelists will
discuss efforts in civil actions as well as public campaigns aimed at stifling further acts of
grand corruption. They will also discuss asset recovery and share success and challenges
in this regard.
Session 4: Ethics, Conduct, and Governance for Accountable and Inclusive Institutions
at All Levels
This panel will address the 16
th
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), on developing
accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. Ethics and conduct codes are crucial
tools to fighting corruption and ensuring accountability and transparency, yet many
countries across the world have yet to develop and implement meaningful codes in their
legislatures. This panel will examine how parliamentarians can take active roles in creating
ethics and conduct codes and ensuring that they are successfully implemented. It will also
help guide participants through first-hand accounts of successes and challenges
encounter in countries with existing codes.
Session 5: Increasing Women Parliamentarians’ Leadership on Non-Traditional Issues
This panel will address the 5
th
Sustainable Development Goal, on achieving gender
equality and empowering all women and girls. Women’s representation in parliaments
around the world remains insufficient, considering women make up over 50 per cent of
the population. The women that do take office often end up involved in portfolios related
to “soft” issues. Their involvement is often limited concerning issues relating to finance,
defence and intelligence, yet these are key areas where oversight is critical to the fight
against corruption. This panel session will examine the causes behind this limited
 URU, Alm.del - 2014-15 (2. samling) - Bilag 11: Invitation til konference om korruptionsbekæmpelse den 6. - 8. oktober 2015 i Indonesien
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Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption
255 Albert Street, Suite 904, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6A9 Canada
www.gopacnetwork.org
involvement and seek to find solutions to encourage participation in these portfolios by
women parliamentarians.
Session 6: The High Cost of Institutionalizing Democracy
Critics to the system of campaign financing argue that the high cost of running for office
and the current ways of meeting those costs not only distract elected officials from their
primary task of lawmaking, but leave the door open to the influence of special interests.
By soliciting contributions from special interests groups to finance a costly election
campaign, politicians may feel a sense of obligation to their benefactors and no longer
represent the interests of his or her constituency. This panel will discuss the downside of
democracy in terms of high cost political campaign and seek possible options in making
democratic process more efficient.
Partner Sessions:
Following the 5th Global Conference, debrief conversations with staff showed that it
would be beneficial to the organization and our members to offer partner
organizations opportunities to host panel sessions on topics of their choosing. Given
the short time frame for this conference, we would approach individual potential
partner organizations as opposed to opening up a bid-process for proposals. We will
offer 4 sessions which would run concurrently at the end of the second day of the
conference once all GOPAC sessions are completed.