The representatives of the Anti-Corruption Authorities of 137 Member States of the United Nations and 12 international organizations, gathered in Beijing, Peoples' Republic of China, for the First Annual Conference and General Meeting of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities, held at Grand Epoch City from 22 to 26 October 2006, declare as follows:
Recalling General Assembly resolution 58/4, by which the Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption and established 9 December as the International Anti-Corruption Day,
Recalling also the High-Level Conference for the Signing of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, held in Mérida, Mexico, from 9 to 11 December 2003,
Recalling further all relevant General Assembly and Economic and Social Council resolutions, including those adopted on the recommendation of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, by which those bodies have called for the expeditious ratification and full implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption,
Welcoming the entry into force on 14 December 2005 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the convening of the first session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention, to be held in Jordan from 10 to 14 December 2006,
Noting with appreciation the generous offer of the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to act as host to the first session of the Conference of the States Parties,
Aware of the important contribution of civil society and relevant NGOs to the objective analysis and evaluation of anti-corruption initiatives,
1. Express their gratitude to the Supreme Peoples' Procuratorate of the Peoples' Republic of China for having taken the initiative of convening the Conference and launching the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities, as well as their deepest appreciation to the Government and people of the Peoples' Republic of China for their gracious hospitality that made the Conference a resounding success;
2. Adopt the Constitution of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities and request its Executive Committee to actively pursue the objectives of the Association and provide adequate follow-up to this declaration;
3. Mandate the Executive Committee to review the proposals and suggestions emanating from the IAACA Conference and recommend practical measures that can be implemented by the IAACA in an effective and timely manner;
4. Welcome with satisfaction the high rate of ratifications of and accessions to the United Nations Convention against Corruption and call upon those countries that have not yet done so to expedite the required internal procedures in order to ratify or accede to the Convention as a matter of the highest priority and urgency;
5. Extend their warmest congratulations to Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon of the Republic of Korea for his appointment to the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations and express their wish that he will continue to provide the highest priority to the fight against corruption in his efforts to ensure the full and effective implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption;
6. Recognize the lack of scientific methods of measuring corruption and the urgent need for accurate and objective data on its occurrence and impact, as well as methodologically sound analysis at the national and international levels;
7. Urge anti-corruption authorities to devote attention to the collection and analysis of relevant data and information, sharing among them as IAACA members their official data and statistics, and invite UNODC to develop the necessary tools for accurate and objective measurement of corruption with the view to undertaking such measurement, as an important step for effective review of implementation and as a necessary complement to the work of the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention;
8. Encourage Anti-Corruption Authorities to make every possible effort to participate in the delegations of their respective countries to the first session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption;
9. Encourage further Anti-Corruption Authorities to participate actively in the Conference of the States Parties, especially by making sure that there will be substantive discussion and concrete outcomes from the side event designed for anti-corruption authorities at the Conference;
10. Call upon States to apply faithfully the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and be guided by them when deciding to establish anti-corruption authorities or to amend the current terms of reference and mandate of existing bodies, in compliance with the relevant provisions of the Convention;
11. Urge States to maintain the appropriate balance in the mandate of these anti-corruption bodies, paying due attention to their critical preventive functions;
12. Call upon States to rely on the Convention in strengthening international cooperation in criminal matters, particularly in extradition and mutual legal assistance cases, especially when they have no bilateral agreements or arrangements in place;
13. Urge Anti-Corruption Authorities to make full use of the relevant provisions of the Convention in establishing and strengthening, as appropriate, their operational cooperation, learning from each other's experience and supporting each other in the performance of their demanding tasks, including in the exchange of best practices, lessons learned and difficulties encountered, as well as the activities undertaken to celebrate the International Anti-Corruption Day, December 9th;
14. Welcome the forthcoming publication by UNODC of the Legislative Guide for the Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, as well as the ongoing development of the Technical Guide for Implementation of the Convention and commend UNODC for its work;
15. Invite the Conference of the States Parties to devote priority attention to strengthening technical assistance related to the implementation of the Convention, especially in meeting the legislative requirements of the Convention and in institution-building and training;
16. Welcome the increased importance given to the question of asset recovery around the world and commend initiatives undertaken by Governments, relevant international organizations or academic institutions and civil society organizations to raise awareness and promote better understanding of this fundamental principle of the Convention;
17. Invite the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention to give high priority to the streamlining of the various initiatives on asset recovery in order to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness, paying particular attention to the urgent need to build knowledge and strengthen capacity on this matter, especially among developing countries and countries with economies in transition;
18. Invite also the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention to give utmost importance to its mandated role as the body responsible for the review of implementation of the Convention and, for this purpose, consider at its first session the review mechanism, including peer review, self-assessment and monitoring, which will be necessary to establish as soon as possible, in accordance with paragraph 7 of article 63 of the Convention, so as to allow it to discharge this crucial function in the most effective and efficient manner, and calls upon States Parties to cooperate with UNODC in discharging this important function;
19. Call upon development agencies to participate in the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention at the highest possible level and to engage in active dialogue between them and with UNODC with a view to ensuring that the Convention is fully integrated in their work and forms the basis for their capacity building efforts, especially in the area of governance;
20. Call upon the United Nations Development Programme, as well as the international financing institutions, and multilateral and regional development banks, to participate actively at the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention and work together with UNODC, with a view to fully integrating the Convention in their relevant work and to join forces with UNODC in establishing common programmes of technical assistance to promote the full implementation of the Convention, particularly on matters related to asset recovery;
21. Recommend that the text of this Declaration be widely circulated by the relevant anti-corruption authorities in their respective countries and that it be submitted by the Host Country of this Conference to the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, as well as to the General Assembly and other relevant bodies of the United Nations.