Professor Mark Pieth of Switzerland will step down as chair of the OECD Working Group on Bribery at the end of 2013, a position he has held since the Working Group was organized in the early 1990s. He led the negotiations which resulted in the adoption of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention in December 1997. After the Convention went into effect, Professor Pieth presided over the followup monitoring process to promote implementation by the Parties. The rigorous country reviews conducted by the Working Group are widely regarded as the gold standard for treaty monitoring. On this occasion, Transparency International pays tribute to Professor Pieth’s outstanding leadership, dedication and perseverance, pressing even the most reluctant governments to take action. Transparency International commends the selection of Drago Kos of Slovenia as the new chair of the Working Group beginning in January 2014. His previous work as president of GRECO, the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption organisation, and as head of Slovenia’s anti-corruption agency demonstrates the capabilities needed to move the Convention forward.
