Posted 7/2/09
CONFERENCE
'CORRUPTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS'
Maastricht Centre for Human Rights
Maastricht University, Faculty of Law
22 & 23 October 2009
CONFERENCE THEME:
Corruption, generally defined as 'the abuse of public office
for private gain,' is one of the greatest social evils of
our time. In the words of former UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan, 'Corruption hurts the poor disproportionately by
diverting funds intended for development, undermining a
government's ability to provide basic services, feeding
inequality and injustice, and discouraging foreign investment
and aid.' The adoption of several international anti-corruption
treaties such as the United Nations Convention Against
Corruption in 2003 put the problem on the international agenda,
and it is likely to stay there. Research on corruption is
conducted by scholars in several academic areas and the problem
is addressed by the major international financial
institutions and NGOs. However, from the human rights
perspective, corruption has not been studied extensively.
This two-day conference aims to bring together researchers
in various disciplines to further examine the links between
corruption and human rights.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
- Prof. dr. John Hatchard (Visit. Prof. Open University
Business School, UK)
- Mr. Drago Kos (President of GRECO, Council of Europe)
- Prof. dr. David Nelken (University of Macerata, Italy)
- Prof. dr. Nikos Passas (Northeastern University College
of Criminal Justice)
- Prof dr. Mark Pieth (Chairman of the OECD Working Group
on Bribery; Basel University)
WORKSHOPS:
1. Corruption as a Violation of Human Rights?
Presenters: Martine Boersma; Magdalena Sepulveda;
Brigit Toebes.
2. Corruption, Human Rights and the Natural Environment
Presenters: Alexandra Harrington; Anita Ramasastry;
Patrick Walsh and William Thornton.
3. Researching Corruption: Methodological and Cultural
Challenges
Presenters: Gauthier de Beco; Tina Olteanu and Dorothee
de Neve.
4. Corporations & International Financial Institutions,
Corruption and Human Rights
Presenters: Sarah Hunt; Dawn Rothe.
5. Towards a Fundamental Human Right to a Corruption-Free
Public Service?
Presenters: Morag Goodwin and Kate Rose-Sender;
C. Raj Kumar.
6. Police Corruption & Human Rights
Presenters: Emile Kolthoff; Olga Pleshkova.
REGISTRATION FOR PARTICIPANTS:
Registration for participation in the conference is now
possible online. Please visit:
http://www.law.unimaas.nl/humanrights
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