In Washington:
Richard Miron
1818 H Street NW Washington, DC 20433
Announcement
Qatar, the G8 and the StAR Initiative to convene the first technical session under the Arab Forum on Asset Recovery
WASHINGTON, March 27, 2013 – Asset recovery, in the wake of the Arab Spring, has become a more urgent area of focus in the region and in the international community. The Arab Forum on Asset Recovery is an initiative to bring together the Arab Countries in Transition, the G8 and other financial centers as well as regional countries for an effort that raises awareness of effective measures for asset recovery, provides for regional training, and identifies country-specific capacity building needs. It also provides a platform for discussions and exchange between the Arab Countries in Transition and financial centers on actual asset recovery cases.
Following the success of the first Arab Forum in Doha on September 11-13, 2012, and the identification of the most critical bottlenecks to asset recovery (e.g. capacity, domestic and international cooperation, networking), a work plan has been put together to respond to these challenges. It aims at keeping the momentum through three special sessions to be organized prior to the second Arab Forum on Asset Recovery, planned for October 2013.
The work plan lays out, in response to the needs expressed by the Arab countries in transition, concrete measures to promote cooperation and case assistance, capacity building efforts and technical assistance. More specifically, it calls for the provision of specialized training benefitting practitioners working on actual asset recovery cases.
The first of these specialized training sessions will be held in Doha, Qatar from April 2nd to 4th, 2013, in partnership with the Qatari Rule of Law and Anti-corruption Center. It will be attended by investigators, prosecutors, financial intelligence unit officers, and representatives from countries in transition and other countries in the region as well as the G8, key financial centers, the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR). Participants will share advanced techniques designed to enhance countries’ capacity for domestic coordination among domestic ministries involved in asset recovery and international cooperation in the asset recovery process. Side consultations among officials to advance cooperation in specific cases are also expected.
This technical workshop illustrates the continued commitment by all parties to the asset recovery process in the region and to supporting the ongoing dialogue on combatting corruption, recovering stolen assets and establishing a framework for cooperation and collaboration across the globe.
Additional Information:
About the Arab Forum on Asset Recovery
The Arab Forum on Asset Recovery is a stand-alone institution fostering asset recovery efforts for Arab Countries in Transition. It works as a platform bringing together the G8, the Deauville Partnership, and countries in the Arab World in cooperation for the return of stolen assets.
About The Deauville Partnership with Arab Countries in Transition
The Deauville Partnership with Arab Countries in Transition is an international effort launched by the G-8 at the Leaders Meeting in Deauville, France in May 2011 to support countries in the Arab world engaged in transitions toward “free, democratic and tolerant societies.”
The Action Plan on Asset Recovery
At Camp David, on the 21 May 2012, the G8 adopted its Action Plan on Asset Recovery within the overall framework of the Deauville Partnership with Arab Countries in Transition. In the plan, G8 countries committed to a comprehensive list of actions aimed to promote cooperation and case assistance, capacity building efforts and technical assistance in support of the efforts of Arab countries in transition in recovering assets diverted by past regimes. See further information on the Action Plan at: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/190483.htm
About StAR
The Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR) is a partnership between the World Bank Group and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime that supports international efforts to end safe havens for corrupt funds. StAR works with developing countries and financial centers to prevent the laundering of the proceeds of corruption and to facilitate more systematic and timely return of stolen assets.