World's largest International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC2024) begins in Vilnius

Today marks the start of the four-day International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC2024). This is the most significant and largest forum globally, bringing together experts in the fight against corruption, policymakers, practitioners, and academics, with over 2,000 participants from more than 140 countries attending. The IACC will take place from June 18 to 21 at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre LITEXPO.

The 21st IACC program includes 8 plenary sessions, over 90 seminars and workshops, and more than 200 speakers, including the Presidents of Lithuania and Guatemala, the Secretaries-General of the OECD, the Council of Europe, and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, as well as leaders from the World Bank, Europol, Transparency International, the US Department of State's Global Anti-Corruption Coordinator, and the head of the White House National Security Council's Anti-Corruption section, among others.

"This conference symbolizes hope in our united battle against corruption, a destructive force that afflicts societies, weakens institutions and erodes trust in governance. As we assemble here, united in our determination to tackle corruption, it is critical to emphasize the important role of each and every actor in combating corruption. It is a joint matter for all society, not only for law enforcement agencies, to take meaningful steps to eradicate our shared enemy. Together we can amplify our impact, enhance our effectiveness and create a united front against corruption in all its forms“, said Linas Pernavas, Director of the Special Investigation Service (STT), during the conference's opening ceremony.

Alongside the conference, the public is invited to open events, one of which is the "Films4Transparency" film festival, ongoing since Sunday. On June 18 and 19, the SKALVIJA Cinema Center will host documentary screenings of "The Grab" and "State of Silence." The films will be shown in their original languages with Lithuanian and English subtitles. After the screenings, participants are invited to join discussions with the directors and other invited guests. More information about the films and tickets can be found here.

IACC 2024 in Vilnius will be finalised by the "Break free!" activism, music, and film festival on June 21 at 5 PM at Lukiškės Prison 2.0. The free, open for public event will feature the national premiere of the documentary "Accidental President," followed by a discussion with Oscar-nominated directors Mike Lerner and Martin Herring and the main character of the film, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The musical program will include "Antikvariniai Kašpirovskio dantys," the Ukrainian girl rock-pop band "The Sixsters," activist singer Cill Soul from Nigeria, and afro-electro performer Faith Mussa from Malawi. The full festival program can be found here, and registration for free participation is here.

The decision to host the International Anti-Corruption Conference in Lithuania was made by the IACC council following the Lithuanian President's proposal to organize the conference in Vilnius. In 2023, an official agreement was signed, endorsed by the Lithuanian Government, which entrusted the STT with organizing this conference.

IACC is the most important global anti-corruption forum, aiming to address the greatest threats of corruption in the modern world. Since 1983, it has successfully influenced the global political and economic agenda. The IACC is held in a different country every two years: in 2022, it was held in the USA, in 2020 in South Korea, in 2018 in Denmark, in 2016 in Panama, in 2015 in Malaysia, and in 2012 in Brazil.