-4- Corruption (MESICIC), and in that connection they endorse the conclusions and recommendations of concrete measures to strengthen the MESICIC, adopted by the First Conference of the States Parties thereto. 13. That they also underscore the importance of the adoption by the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention, to be held in Managua, Nicaragua on July 8 and 9, 2004, pursuant to the mandate of the Special Summit of the Americas, of additional concrete measures to increase transparency and combat corruption in the Hemisphere. 14. Their resolute support for implementation of the Inter-American Program for Cooperation in the Fight against Corruption and for the Inter-American Network for Cooperation against Corruption, established in the framework of the OAS. 15. That the media and the various actors in civil society must play a fundamental role in the prevention of and fight against corruption, in accordance with domestic law and applicable international norms. Responsible action on their part contributes to the culture of transparency, good governance, and democratic values. 16. That access to public information supports government transparency and contributes to preventing impunity by permitting the detection of acts of corruption. They pledge to promote additional measures to enhance government transparency. 17. That the strengthening of and respect for the rule of law, the defense of human rights and fundamental freedoms, economic progress, well-being and social justice, transparency and accountability in public affairs, the promotion of diverse forms of citizen participation, and the development of opportunities for all are fundamental to promoting and consolidating representative democracy. 18. Their commitment to move forward toward overcoming poverty, hunger, and social inequality and toward the development of the Inter-American Program to Combat Poverty and Discrimination, through the recently strengthened Inter-American Committee on Social Development. 19. The importance of intensifying actions, especially by means of international cooperation and the exchange of information, best practices, and shared visions on existing anticorruption commitments adopted by their governments, including, as appropriate, those set forth in the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, the Declaration of Nuevo León, and the Mérida Convention.