III Europe's Treaty Drafting Meeting in Hamburg

From 19-30 August 2024, The New Institute (TNI) in Hamburg, Germany hosted the third in a series of expert meetings to develop the Treaty to establish an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC). Our Treaty drafting experts have previously been able to meet at TNI in August 2023 and April 2024. Over the two weeks in August 2024, more than twenty-five legal experts from over fifteen countries discussed a wide range of draft provisions and associated topics to refine a first “zero draft” of a Treaty to establish the IACC. This in-person meeting allowed the experts to discuss and consolidate the work of a wider group of more than seventy legal experts, who have collaborated on a pro-bono basis in various subcommittees for more than a year.

The IACC Treaty drafting meeting was convened by Justice Richard Goldstone (distinguished retired Constitutional Judge from South Africa and former chief Prosecutor of the ICTY and ICTR), and Maja Groff (Senior Treaty Advisor and Board Member of Integrity Initiatives International Europe), who served as meeting Chair. The fruitful meeting identified the most complex legal issues that require further research, which will lead to a next iteration of the draft IACC Treaty, expected by the end of the year. III Europe facilitated the August 2024 meeting in Hamburg together with its partner organization, Integrity Initiatives International (III), 

The Work of the IACC Subcommittees

The IACC Treaty Committee consists of 8 subcommittees, which all produced presentations and draft provisions for the discussion in Hamburg.

1. Asset Freezing, Recovery, Return and Related
2. Core Crimes
3. Corporate Liability and Engagement under an IACC
4. Internal Court Management and Organs
5. International Cooperation
6. Jurisdiction 
7. Procedure and Evidence
8. Victims, Witnesses and Whistleblowers

In the coming months, the experts will continue their work to further refine the specific provisions of the draft Treaty. Additionally, they will consult various stakeholders to obtain their input and further improve the Treaty, while III and III Europe continue their advocacy activities to gather more support for the establishment of the IACC. III Europe looks forward to continuing our successful collaboration with TNI, to host further IACC related meetings in 2025 for in-person consultation with scholars, NGOs, businesses, and state representatives.

The Campaign for the Establishment of the IACC
The IACC would, as a court of last resort, fill a crucial enforcement gap in the international framework to combat grand corruption, stepping in only when national governments are unable or unwilling to do so. The IACC will being designed for maximal efficiency and effectiveness based on lessons learned from the operation of existing international courts. The proposal to establish a new international court to fight corruption has attracted worldwide support. Several states announced their explicit support for the campaign, and the declaration in support of the IACC was signed by more than 275 world leaders from over eighty countries. Most recently, the UK House of Lords discussed both the IACC proposal, and the progress made in Hamburg. 

Please reach out to info@iiieurope.org if you have any questions about the work of III Europe! For more information about the development of the draft IACC Treaty and the campaign for its establishment, please visit https://iaccourt.org/.