Ambassador Delawie’s remarks at the International Law Enforcement Academy Alumni Reception, September 7, 2017
Hello Everybody, thank you ever
Good evening and welcome to all of our distinguished guests, Ambassador Markusz, Chief State Prosecutor, our colleagues visiting from ILEA Budapest, valued alumni of ILEA anti-corruption training this past year, and honored guests. I am delighted to welcome you to this reception to honor the commitment you have made to fighting corruption in your country.
To begin, I want to acknowledge your hard work. The courses you took in Budapest were challenging – public corruption, financial investigations, trafficking in persons, internal government corruption, and the investigation and prosecution of complex corruption cases. A small group of you even participated in the Anti-Corruption Policy Forum in Roswell, New Mexico – where you took nearly a month away from your work here to develop a deep knowledge of international standards, best practices, and intelligence methodologies for corruption prevention and combatting corruption. The expertise you’ve gained in these courses is a critical foundation on which you will build future study and future endeavor.
But you haven’t only gained knowledge in your training; you’ve joined a community of ILEA alumni. Since 1995, more than 60,000 participants from over 80 countries have attended ILEA courses.
That’s an international cadre of leaders who will bring positive change to their institutions and societies. As ILEA alumni and leaders, you will be agents of change with your commitment to fighting corruption with the tools you have learned in Budapest and Roswell.
This reception and the working session you held yesterday have three purposes. First, we want to connect you with your peers – peers who have made the same commitment to fighting corruption that you have. I encourage you, tonight with your colleagues and in the weeks ahead, to discuss ideas for improving public trust in Kosovo’s rule of law institutions. Second, I want you to know that you have the strong support of the U.S. Embassy in your efforts to address corruption. Finally, we and your sponsoring institutions selected you for ILEA training not as a reward for your past accomplishments but as an investment in future partners who will end the culture of corruption and political interference in the judicial and security sectors in Kosovo. You now have an obligation to take what you’ve learned and use it to the benefit of your institutions and your country.
Thank you again for your dedication to the goal of ending corruption. I look forward to your success.
