Day: March 4, 2023

Things should be quieter from tomorrow, as 954,231 schoolchildren go back to school – public and private. There are 48,000 teachers and over 3,000 school sites. When you consider that the total population (subject to the results of the current census) is around 4.5 million, the numbers of school age children demonstrated why they say that Panama is a relatively “young” country.

Meanwhile, in less good news, a new fire is reported to have broken out at the notorious landfill site.

Tomorrow afternoon the seafront park, Cinta Costera, and highways are closed again to allow a parade of carnival queens and displays, presumably from all the provinces too. This news reminded me that the last carnival in a town in which I lived in the Isle of Man featured just one “float”…not quite the same thing, as they like (an excuse for) a party here.

4 MARCH 2023

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 21 February, the Basel Institute on Governance published a Working Paper which argues that states can and should do this by enhancing the effectiveness and scope of established asset recovery measures​​​​ – not by introducing new untested mechanisms that risk inviting future legal challenges, defeating the purpose of sanctions and violating the rule of law. 

https://baselgovernance.org/blog/working-paper-sheds-fresh-light-sanctions-and-confiscation-debate

https://baselgovernance.org/publications/wp-42

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 28 February, the Basel Institute on Governance said in a guest blog that SME are the backbone of many countries’ economies. They represent 99% of all businesses in the OECD area, generating about 60% of employment and totalling between 50% and 60% of value added.  However, they are particularly at risk of corruption and foreign bribery.  The OECD Toolkit builds upon extensive background research and interviews with specialists from all over the world.  It provides examples and case studies of successful tools which government authorities, international organisations, business and civil society organisations, professional associations, and large companies have adopted to assist SME in understanding their risk exposure and implementing adequate anti-corruption measures.

https://baselgovernance.org/blog/presenting-oecd-toolkit-raising-awareness-and-preventing-corruption-smes

https://www.oecd.org/publications/toolkit-for-raising-awareness-and-preventing-corruption-in-smes-19e99855-en.htm

https://www.oecd.org/daf/anti-bribery/toolkit-for-raising-awareness-and-preventing-corruption-in-smes-highlights.pdf

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y