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Calendar Updated: September 3, 2010
News > Establishment of International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA)

Establishment of International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA)

A several years long cooperation between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Republic of Austria, with the support of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has resulted with an establishment of the first International Anti-Corruption Academy. The Conference dedicated to the establishment of the Academy was held in Vienna, Austria on 2nd and 3rd September 2010 in Congress Centre Hofburg.

This Conference brought together high level representatives of different stakeholders dedicated to the fight against corruption. There were approximately 650 representatives of around 90 countries from all around the world. The importance of the meeting was confirmed with the attendance of H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, who addressed the Conference after the opening and pledged his full support to the establishment of the Academy.

After the first part of the Conference which was dedicated to the statements of the high representatives of participating countries, the Agreement Signing Ceremony was held and 35 countries used the opportunity to sign the Agreement and join the Academy.

The conference was a good chance for the Republic of Serbia to briefly present its recent results in tackling corruption. The fact that the Republic of Serbia decided to be one of the signatories of the founding documents is a positive political signal. Bearing in mind recent legislative activities of the Republic of Serbia in the area of anti-corruption and especially the establishment of new bodies- the Anti-corruption Agency, the Directorate for the management of the confiscated assets, the Judicial Academy, it is vital that Serbia continues to work through the exchange of experiences, regional and international cooperation. In that respect it is an encouraging sign that the Serbian stakeholders decided to involve the Judicial Academy from the very beginning. It is important that all relevant stakeholders realise the full potential of this newly established institution which in a due time would be a global reference point for the anti-corruption training, education, research and analysis.