Integrity Initiatives International (III) Launches European Presence in The Hague, the Netherlands
Global NGO is working towards creating an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC)
Photos: Holland Park Media
The global NGO Integrity Initiatives International (III) has launched a European presence in The Hague, the Netherlands. III Europe aims to create an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC) and the new office in The Hague marks a major step forward.
Since June 2021, senior figures from the worlds of politics, the judiciary, and civil society have called for the creation of an IACC. Under III’s leadership, more than 100 NGOs and 350 global dignitaries are working together to make it a reality, including the governments of the Netherlands, Canada, Nigeria, Moldova, and Ecuador. The initiative is being endorsed by more than 50 former presidents and prime ministers, over 30 Nobel laureates, high court judges, cabinet ministers, and representatives of civil society, business, and faith communities.
In a joint declaration, they state that the IACC is ‘urgently needed’ to ‘’promote democracy and human rights, protect human life and health, and enhance international peace and security.’
Maja Groff, Senior Treaty Advisor for III Europe, said: “The establishment of the International Anti-Corruption Court would be an important response to the urgent need for a robust international mechanism to combat grand corruption, which poses a grave threat to the stability of nations, undermines democratic institutions, hampers economic and social development, and erodes public trust in governments.”
The Hague: City of peace and justice
The presence of III Europe in The Hague is significant as the city of peace and justice is already home to many international courts and tribunals. The proposed IACC would have a very clear remit to enforce certain mandatory crimes that the 190 parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) have agreed to criminalize. It would also have the power to freeze assets, return stolen assets to the benefit of victimized populations , and stop corrupt officials wherever they are in the world.
Support from the Invest in Holland network
III Europe was assisted in setting up its offices in The Hague by the Invest in Holland network, in particular The Hague & Partners and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency teams in Washington and The Hague. The official launch took place on 12 June in the attendance of representatives of governments from around the world.
Source: The Hague & Partners
17 June 2024