On December 3rd and 4th, The Siracusa International Institute holds the first meeting of the Advisory Committee for the “Mechanism for Combating Illicit Trade” (M-CIT).
This project, which launched in November 2018, aims to mitigate the harmful consequences of illicit trade by driving a more systematic approach by all stakeholders.
With a view to the creation of an international review mechanism in the future, M-CIT will devise cross-sectoral recommendations in priority policy areas and an innovative methodology for assessing the compliance of governments and businesses. This work is designed to fill urgent policy gaps and support the complementary work of governance bodies.
The meeting was opened this morning by Judge Jean-François Thony, President and Mr. Filippo Musca, Acting Director General. The project framework was detailed by Mr. Tobias Freeman, Senior Legal Officer of the Institute, before foundational presentations by the Institute’s Senior Advisors, Mr. John Sellar OBE, and Mr. Stefano Betti. The Advisory Committee is currently considering a range of policy and methodological angles to steer its crucial work in the coming months.
The current members of the Advisory Committee are:
- Walter Gehr, Chief of Cabinet, Austrian Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs.
- Leigh Winchell, former Deputy Director of Compliance and Enforcement, World Customs Organization.
- Irene Mia, Global Editorial Director of Thought Leadership, The Economist Intelligence Unit and former Senior Economist, World Economic Forum.
- Danil Kerimi, Head of Information Technology and Electronics Industries, World Economic Forum.
- Jeffrey Hardy, Director General, Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade.
- Huw Watkins, Head of Intelligence, UK Intellectual Property Office.
- Stephanie Farr, Head of Global Tax Public Affairs, DIAGEO.
