Educational Program: Addressing the Massive Global Impact of Corruption

While corruption makes daily headlines around the world, little is written about the commitment of the 189 countries that have signed the UN Convention Against Corruption, a legally binding treaty. Trillions of dollars are being bled from legitimate economies of the world through elicit transactions, tax evasion, bribery and theft. These practices corrupt societies and governments alike and put the brakes on social upliftment projects and infrastructure developments that ultimately rob us all. 

Jonathan Granoff, the Permanent Observer of the International Anti-Corruption Academy at the United Nations and President of the Global Security Institute, and Thomas Stelzer, an Austrian diplomat who serves as the Dean of the International Anti-Corruption Academy, will address the importance of this global phenomenon that affects the daily lives of everyone — from local commmunities to international geopolitics. How do we begin to remedy the situation? How do we recapture massive stolen assets and make them available to serve real human needs? 

At the end of the Cold War, the world expected a peace dividend, where budgets for defense spending were assumed to be at least partially redirected to social programs. It was never delivered. This discussion will examine how an effective fight against corruption can deliver a peace dividend. 

Thanos Dimadis, journalist and Executive Director of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA, will moderate this discussion.

WHEN: THURSDAY, JUNE 1st at 10.30 AM EDT

Lecturers’ Bios

Thomas Stelzer

Thomas Stelzer is the Dean & Executive Secretary of the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA). He has been a member of the foreign service of the Republic of Austria. He has served as Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations Office in Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Preparatory Commission; and Ambassador to Portugal from 2013-2017.

Jonathan Granoff

Jonathan Granoff is President of the Global Security Institute, Permanent Observer for the International Anti-Corruption Academy to the United Nations, an attorney, author, and international advocate emphasizing the legal and ethical dimensions of human development and security, with a specific focus on advancing the rule of law, international security, anti-corruption, and the threats posed by nuclear weapons. He was a 2014 nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.