Att. Fabio Cagnola and Silvia Martina from Studio Cagnola&Associati, as members of the IBA AntiCorruption Committee, worked together with other ACC Members on the first submission for the first Intersessional Meeting scheduled for the week of 3130 August 2020 in preparation for the Special session of the General Assembly Against Corruption which should be convened from 26 to 28 April 2021 at the United Nations Headquarters, in New York.

On 17 December 2018, the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) adopted Resolution 73/191 entitled “Special session of the General Assembly against corruption”, and decided to convene in the first half of 2021 a special session on challenges and measures to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation, at the end of which a concise and action-oriented political declaration shall be adopted.

According to Resolution 74/276, adopted by UNGA on 1 June 2020, the General Assembly decided that the aforementioned meeting shall be convened from 26 to 28 April 2021 at United Nations Headquarters, in New York.
The Conference of State Parties (COSP) was invited to hold up to three intersessional meetings, which, meanwhile have been scheduled for the week of 31 August, September and November 2020.

With a view to an inclusive preparatory process, including substantive consultations, in preparation of the special session in 2021, the International Bar Association (IBA) – in accordance with the relevant rules of procedure and established practice– welcomes the opportunity to fully contribute to this preparatory process and consultations in order to continue providing its support to advance the global fight against corruption. To that effect, this first submission focuses on the topics of prevention and criminalisation to be discussed over the first intersessional meeting.

The IBA’s Anti- Corruption Committee (ACC) intends to provide separate further submissions for the intersessional meetings scheduled in September and November 2020.