Brazil receives mission on review mechanism of the UN Convention against corruption

July 29 2011 - Brazil receives, between August 02 and 04, a specialists group from Mexico and Haiti and experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) who are part of the Implementation Review Group of the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). The mission aims to evaluate how Brazil has been fulfilling the obligations established on the UN Convention and to raise possible gaps in the legislation and anti-corruption actions, to improve the process of preventing and fighting corruption.

The evaluation mechanism on the implementation of measures to prevent and fight corruption was approved on 13 November 2009, in Doha, Qatar, during the 3 rd Conference of UNCAC Member States.

The evaluation process aims to ensure the effectiveness of the UN Convention, since Member States understood that without this mechanism is not possible to measure the progress that countries are making, neither the difficulties they are facing to implement the measures provided in the convention.

The review process is supervised by the Implementation Review Group of the Convention, composed by specialists of several countries around the world, and seeks to identify challenges and good practices, as well as to consider technical assistance needs the countries.

The UNCAC implementation review is done in two evaluation cycles, 5 year duration each. In this first stage, Brazil is being evaluated in the implementation of chapters 3, that deals with Law Penalization and Law Enforcement, and 4, which refers to International Cooperation, of the Convention.

The process consists on the evaluation of the countries by other two States, one of them being from the same geographic region of the evaluated State and, if possible, with a similar legal system. The country selection is done by the drawing of lots at the beginning of each review cycle. In Brazil's case, the evaluators are Haiti and Mexico. Brazil, together with Guatemala, will evaluate Cuba.

Before evaluation, Member States fulfill a Self-Evaluation report, developed by UNODC, with information on the implementation of UNCAC in their territory. Based in this document, evaluating countries raise gaps in legislation and on anticorruption actions taken by the evaluated countries. Brazil has submitted its Self-Evaluation Report, a document filled up by previously indicated government specialists.

With a binding character, the UN Convention Against Corruption requires member States to prevent and criminalize corruption, to promote international cooperation, to act for asset recovery and to improve technical assistance and information exchange.

 

More information:

Andrea Catta Preta

Comunication Assistant

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Brazil and the Southern Cone - UNODC

Tel: +55 61 32047206

+ 55 61 8118 0910

andrea.cattapreta@unodc.org

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