On 18-19 March 2019, a delegation of The Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights will participate in the 7th annual meeting of the OECD Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade in Paris. The Task Force fosters international cooperation and public-private partnerships to combat illicit trade in all sectors.
Led by its President, Judge Jean François Thony, the Institute’s delegation also comprises Mr. Filippo Musca, Acting Director General, Mr. Tobias Freeman, Senior Legal Officer and Ms. Kristen Zornada, Legal and Policy Officer.
President Thony will address the Task Force on Tuesday 19 March in a dedicated session on strengthening policies to counter illicit trade. In this session, Mr. Thony will discuss the potential of a review mechanism on illicit trade to strengthen institutional capacities and measure performance in accordance to international benchmarks. Such benchmarks are being developed in the context of the Institute’s Mechanism for Combating Illicit Trade Project (M-CIT), launched in November 2018. M-CIT will also devise a methodology for assessing compliance with such recommendations. The pilot phase of this project is supported by Philip Morris International.
At the meeting, the Institute will also make available its recently published M-CIT Strategic Guidance Paper on elaborating a methodology for assessing compliance with international benchmarks on illicit trade. This groundbreaking paper, published this month, was prepared in order to invite input from relevant stakeholders and experts, including members of the OECD Task Force, on the potential value and modalities of establishing a new review mechanism on illicit trade. After the Task Force meeting, the Institute will make the Strategic Guidance Paper available on its website for download.
The Institute has been a member of the Task Force since 2017. In September 2018, the Institute contributed to the OECD’s public consultation on its draft “Guidance to Counter Illicit Trade: Enhancing Transparency in Free Trade Zones”.
