By Kuvee Kangueehi Windhoek Namibia’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, was elected Vice-President and Executive Member of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA). The minister was elected during the First Annual Conference and General Meeting of IAACA held in Beijing, China from October 22 to 26. Ithana will serve in the position for three years before the next election. The Deputy Minister of Justice Uutoni Nujoma, who represented Namibia at the General Meeting, said the honour bestowed on Ithana and Namibia is clear testimony of the commitment of Namibia to fight the scourges of corruption. “It shows Namibia’s determination to contribute to the efforts of the International Community to eliminate corruption and to foster unity of common purpose for development, peace and social security.” Nujoma said the meeting was held under the theme of strengthening international cooperation for effective implementation of the UN Convention Against Corruption. The deputy minister said the General Meeting also enabled delegates to share the varied experiences, examine the issues on such cooperation and establish a direct cooperation mechanism for the IAACA. He added that the meeting was a follow-up to the series of meetings and consultations held in recent years as part of the commitment of the International Community to punish and prevent corruption. He said the meeting reached an important consensus on International Anti-Corruption Cooperation. “The International Community also resolved to fight corruption on the basis of respect for political and legal systems of the countries concerned, historical and cultural backgrounds committed to a cooperation mechanism featuring mutual trust and strengthening Anti-Corruption Cooperation among all countries.” The deputy minister further noted that Namibia, as a member of the UN, had ratified the UN Convention Against Corruption and is also a signatory to the African Union Convention Against Corruption and the Regional SADC Protocol Against Corruption. He added that, since the ratification of the two protocols, significant steps have been taken to implement the two instruments. “The Convention contains strong provisions on asset recovery, making it an important instrument to help recover some of the estimated US$400 billion looted from African economies and deposited in foreign banks.” Nujoma led the Namibian delegation to the General Meeting which also included Prosecutor-General Martha Imalwa and Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Paulus Noa.