Now here I sit in pristine white hallway of the IAEA building in front of the room where IRG delegates hold their meetings. (UNODC conference facilities are undergoing renovation thus the use of the International Atomic Energy Agency.) For most of the morning, many delegates were mingling about because "informals" (informal negotiations) were under way concerning a GRULAC Non Paper (unpublished paper) which was the main order of business at yesterday and today's meetings. GRULAC is the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.

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On Friday the 13^th 2009, the Doha deal on the UNCAC review mechanism was concluded! (Resolution L9). The deal was adopted by approximately 106 States Parties represented at CoSP3 -another 14 governments were there as observers. Its a landmark in establishing the first ever UN peer review mechanism. But its not a deal to celebrate-how could we celebrate an anti-corruption mechanism that is allowed to operate in secrecy on a government-to-governme t basis? A review process with no requirements of non-governmental inputs, no required country visits, no required publication of reports (only of summaries). All optional!

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