Among international and regional organizations, the Organization of American States (OAS) was the first to adopt a binding treaty dedicated to anti-corruption. In 1996, it passed the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption (IACAC), which was subsequently signed and ratified by the vast majority of member states. The document established a definition of corruption and committed states in the Americas to preventing and punishing it. Moreover, it provided the starting point for a mechanism of regional cooperation (MESICIC), which was established in 2001.