The world’s greatest forum for civil society, goverments and the private sector working together to fight corruption.
A preview of the agenda is found below. Please note that this is a draft agenda and subject to change.
The continuous worldwide increase in cross-border illicit financial flows (IFFs) is extremely alarming. The urgency to take action has been re-emphasised by the revelations of the Panama Papers as well as the Bahama leaks. The movement of IFFs, whether related to corruption, tax evasion, terrorism or organized crime, concerns – and harms – both, developing and developed countries alike. However, the effects of IFFs are especially devastating for the developing world. International NGOs estimate that 1 trillion US$ illegally flows out of developing and emerging economies per year. The most immediate impact of IFFs is a reduction in domestically available expenditure and investment, resulting in nothing less but fewer hospitals, schools, and roads. The unhindered movement of illicit financial flows is a driver of crime, corruption and tax evasion. It aggravates injustice and impunity and leads to instability and poverty.
Corruption and illicit financial flows are related to each other in several ways. On the one hand, corruption is an immanent source of illicit financial flows. Fighting illicit financial flows also means fighting possibilities to hide the proceeds of corruption. On the other hand, corruption can also enable the generation, movement and laundering of IFFs by corrupting authorities or institutions responsible for law enforcement or tax administration. The publication of the Panama Papers has shown how the elites, the rich and the powerful worldwide hide their wealth from taxation, as well as from criminal investigation in case of embezzlement, corruption or other criminal activities.
This workshop aims at presenting and discussing measures and solutions to stop IFFs. It will take into account the national, regional and international perspective as well as possibilities for development cooperation. Representatives from Germany, developing countries, regional and/or international organizations and NGOs will discuss opportunities and challenges regarding beneficial ownership transparency, financial investigations, anti-money laundering, international cooperation in criminal matters and recovery of stolen assets.
