The Basel Institute on Governance and the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) are co-organising and participating in several  different workshops at this year’s 14th International Anti-Corruption Conference in Bangkok, Thailand in November.

Our contribution to the 14th IACC is manifold: we are co-organizing workshops on asset recovery and on repairing social damages our of corruption cases, we are also contributing to workshops on legal remedies for victims of corruption and on governance in the Health Sector. Here is a brief description of these activities:

Workshop on State and Non-State Actors: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Recovering Stolen Assets

This workshop is jointly organised by ICAR and the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative of the World Bank.

The workshop seeks to describe the roles of the non-state actors in the asset recovery process, and the role of development and law enforcement agencies in fostering international co-operation as envisaged by the UNCAC. It will also present recent innovations aimed at strengthening the capacity of countries to recover and return the proceeds of corruption. The workshop will focus on how to mobilise support for asset recovery initiatives.

It is expected that the workshop will allow for greater networking amongst relevant stakeholders in building trust to take forward the asset recovery agenda, as well as for investigating the feasibility and possible implementation of new solutions identified during discussions.

Date and time: 11 November 2010, 1730-1930

Coordinators:

• Pedro Gomes Pereira, Asset Recovery Specialist, Basel Institute on Governance
• Tim Steele, Senior Governance Specialist, Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative

Moderator:

• Alan Bacarese, Head of Legal and Case Consultancy, Basel Institute on Governance

Panellists:

• Valentin Zellweger, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
• Robert Palmer, Kleptocracy Campaign, Global Witness
• Jesse Wachanga, Jesse Wachanga, Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission
• Pedro Gomes Pereira, Asset Recovery Specialist, Basel Institute on Governance

More: http://14iacc.org/programme/global-challenges/state-and-non-state-actors/

Finding the Real Cost of Corruption: How to use the Concept of Social Damage for the Anti-Corruption Struggle

This workshop is co-organised by The Basel Institute with Transparency International-Americas.

The panellists will discuss questions around the concept of social damage and how it has been used in measuring damage and defining compensation in corruption cases in the recent past. The case of ALCATEL in Costa Rica will be drawn upon as an example, as well as the Siemens and MAN case from Germany.

The concept of Social Damage implies that a financial retribution should be made by those found guilty of affecting a society at large to repair the damage caused. It is a quite innovative concept for the anti-corruption struggle but is used already successfully in other areas such as environmental protection. Therefore, at this point it is important to further understand the concept, the mechanisms for its application and their implications for corruption fighting.

Date and time: 12 November 2010, 1500-1700

Coordinators:

• Manfredo Marroquin, Regional Coordinator for Central America, Transparency International
• Andres Hernandez,  Senior Programme Coordinator, Americas Department, Transparency International

Moderator:

• Delia Ferreira Rubio, Chair, Poder Ciudadano – TI National Chapter in Argentina, and Member of the TI International Board of Directors

Panellists:

• Gilberth Calderón Alvarado, Director, Procuraduría de la Ética Pública, Costa Rica.
• Joachim Eckert, Presiding Judge Penal Court Munich, Germany
• Juanita Olaya, Director, Public and Corporate Governance Basel Institute on Governance, Switzerland
• Andrew Feinstein, Former ANC Member of Parliament and activist in the field of corruption and arms trade, South Africa

More: http://14iacc.org/programme/global-challenges/finding-the-real-cost-of-c...

Members of the Basel Institute also participate in:

Workshop co-organised by Sherpa on Legal Redress for Victims of Corruption

In many jurisdictions the legal tools for victims’ legal redress are unclear, untested, or even nonexistent - leaving victims little recourse against corrupt officials or those who collude with them.  The ability of victims to initiate civil claims and to participate in criminal proceedings is a crucial counterpart to enforcement by state actors. This is most profoundly true for victims in countries where corruption is systemic and meaningful prosecution is a fiction.

The workshop on Legal Redress for Victims of Corruption will present corruption cases initiated by civil society.   This workshop will be followed on the 12th by a People’s Empowerment - Special Session that will seek to empower civil society by mapping the current legal landscape and available tools to address trans-national corruption and in which Alan Bacarese will be one of the panellists, sharing his expertise on the BAE case.

Date and time: 11 November 2010, 0900-1100

Coordinators:

• Maud Pedriel-Vaissaiere, Managing Director, SHERPA
• Elizabeth Ryder, Senior Independent Legal Consultant

Moderator:

• Maud Pedriel-Vaissaiere, Managing Director, SHERPA

Panellists:

• Vijay Anand, President, 5th Pillar
• Alan Bacarese, Head of Legal and Case Consultancy, Basel Institute on Governance
• Juanita Olaya, Director, Public and Corporate Governance Basel Institute on Governance
• Edward H. Davis, Lawyer, Astigarraga Davis Law firm
• Adetokunbo Mumini, Executive Director, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project - SERAP
• Maud Perdriel Vaissiere, Managing Director, SHERPA
• K. Elizabeth Ryder, Senior Legal Consultant

More: http://14iacc.org/programme/at-a-glance-day-2/

UNDP´s workshop on Improving integrity in the Health Sector - Stories from the field

Corruption reduces access to health services, lowers the quality of health care and diverts resources away from investments in the health sector. Corruption in the health sector impedes efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Corruption and poor governance help explain why increased funding allocations have not necessarily translated into improvements in human development indicators. Success in meeting the health related MDGs will therefore also depend on improved integrity in the health sector.

This workshop will take an in-depth look at both grand corruption in the pharmaceutical sector and petty corruption that affects the poor in their day-to-day encounters with health service providers. International experts on corruption in the health sector and practitioners from the field will share their experiences in measuring corruption in the health sector and in implementing specific interventions at the national, regional and local level to improve integrity.

The workshop will highlight success stories in combating corruption in the health sector, raise awareness about the negative effects of corruption in the health sector and explore strategies to reduce grand and petty corruption in the health sector.

Date and time: 12 November 2010, 1730-1930

Coordinator:

• Samuel De Jaegere – Policy Analyst Anti-Corruption – UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre

Moderator:

• Mohamed Ramzy Ismail – Technical Officer – Division of Health Systems and Services Development – WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Panellists:

• Taryn Vian - Assistant Professor of International Health - Boston University School of Public Health
• Chanvit Tharathep - Ministry of Public Health
• Eelco Jacobs – PhD Research Associate “Governance of Health Systems” project -
  Basel Institute on Governance
• Sjoerd Postma - Senior Health Specialist – Asian Development Bank
• Goodwell Lungu - Executive Director

More: http://14iacc.org/programme/global-challenges/improving-integrity-in-the...