IACAC

The Inter-American Convention Against Corruption

The Inter-American Convention Against Corruption (IACAC) was adopted by the member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) on 29 March 1996; it came into force on 6 March 1997. It was the first international convention to address the question of corruption. It represents regional consensus about what states should do in the areas of prevention, criminalisation, international cooperation and asset recovery. It covers corruption in the public sector, both on demand and supply. It gives a wide and inclusive interpretation to what constitutes 'corruption offences' including bribery, domestic and foreign; illicit enrichment; money laundering and concealment of property.

According to Article II of the convention's text, it has two goals:

1. To promote and strengthen the development by each of the States Parties of the mechanisms needed to prevent, detect, punish and eradicate corruption; and,

2. To promote, facilitate and regulate cooperation among the States Parties to ensure the effectiveness of measures and actions to prevent, detect, punish and eradicate corruption in the performance of public functions and acts of corruption specifically related to such performance.

The convention's oversight mechanisms provide for a comprehensive system of inter-state monitoring and compliance assessments.

• See the list of IACAC Member State signatures and ratifications.
• See Transparency International's global priorities resources on the IACAC and the regional pages section on the IACAC including information on the convention's follow up mechanism.
• Access BIAC's Anti-Corruption Resource Guide for a short description of the OAS Convention.