UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 19TH SEPTEMBER 2017, 1300 BST PROMISE TO PRACTICE

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 19TH SEPTEMBER 2017, 1300 BST PROMISE TO PRACTICE"

Transcription

1 UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 19TH SEPTEMBER 2017, 1300 BST PROMISE TO PRACTICE MONITORING GLOBAL PROGRESS OF THE 2016 ANTI-CORRUPTION SUMMIT COMMITMENTS

2 Transparency International (TI) is the world s leading nongovernmental anti-corruption organisation. With more than 100 chapters worldwide, TI has extensive global expertise and understanding of corruption. Transparency International UK (TI-UK) is the UK chapter of TI. We raise awareness about corruption; advocate legal and regulatory reform at national and international levels; design practical tools for institutions, individuals and companies wishing to combat corruption; and act as a leading centre of anti-corruption expertise in the UK. Acknowledgements: Author: Lucas Amin Editors: Robert Barrington, Rachel Davies Teka, Duncan Hames, Casey Kelso, Maggie Murphy, Jameela Raymond, Deborah Unger Design: Jon Le Marquand 2017 Transparency International UK. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in parts is permitted, providing that full credit is given to Transparency International UK (TI-UK) and provided that any such reproduction, in whole or in parts, is not sold or incorporated in works that are sold. Written permission must be sought from Transparency International UK if any such reproduction would adapt or modify the original content. Published September ISBN: Every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information contained in this report. All information was believed to be correct as of 31 July Nevertheless, Transparency International UK cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of its use for other purposes or in other contexts. Printed on 100% recycled paper. Transparency International UK s registered charity number is

3 Promise to Practice Monitoring global progress of the 2016 Anti-Corruption Summit commitments.

4 Introduction In May 2016 then-uk Prime Minister David Cameron convened 43 countries and six international organisations at an Anti-Corruption Summit, in London. The Summit didn t just generate a declaration against corruption, but instead encouraged countries and organisations to pursue ambitious individual action plans. There were 648 promises made to promote integrity and defend against corruption across 20 issues. The purpose of this report is to evaluate what the Summit s participants have since achieved. A great deal has changed since last May, and new leaders with different priorities are at the helm of key countries. Have countries kept their promises? Following the Summit, Transparency International and a network of partner organisations began monitoring the implementation of pledges: 384 made by governments and 69 by international organisations. The Summit announced the 2017 United Nations General Assembly as a point in which progress would be reported; now is a good time to take stock of what the Summit has delivered, and what it still can. Transparency International s pledge-tracking database is published as open data, and is available for download 1, for those who wish to review the performance of a country, region or theme. This short report presents a highlevel briefing on a handful of key issues, as well as significant case studies and an overview of the pledge tracking data. The first section of this report summarises the results and describes five trends in the delivery of anti-corruption commitments. Section two reviews the progress made in the three areas which attracted the most pledges: beneficial ownership, asset recovery and public procurement. Section three highlights three areas that did not receive enough attention at the summit and still require greater attention. Finally, Transparency International offers some conclusions and recommendations on what needs to happen next to ensure that the Summit efforts are not wasted. 1 Search through the full findings at our interactive website: anticorruptionpledgetracker.com 4

5 I. Post-Summit Delivery on Anti-Corruption Pledges After the Summit, Transparency International analysed government pledges from 41 countries and the European Commission, in different phases. 1. Pledges were classified as ambitious, somewhat ambitious or not ambitious. 2. Pledges were graded as new, somewhat new or not new. 3. Pledges were categorised as concrete or somewhat concrete. All not concrete commitments were removed from the final analysis. Of the 648 commitments in this sample, a selection of 384 pledges across 27 countries was assessed on their progress: Inactive no activity on the commitment, or there is no publicly available evidence of progress Ongoing - a pledge has no fixed end-date but progress has started Complete the commitment has been fully delivered Underway the work to implement the pledge is not yet finished Overdue not completed by the deadline A full methodology can be found in the annex. Two thirds of the 384 commitments made by governments at the Summit are either complete, ongoing or underway. The results are encouraging, but it is too early to call the Summit a major success, because only 18 per cent of pledges have actually been completed. Table 1 shows a summary of the pledges status by anti-corruption theme. Total Pledges Complete Inactive # # % # % Beneficial Ownership % 25 37% Asset Recovery % 14 30% Public Procurement % 6 14% Tax % 9 30% Anti-Money Laundering % 7 25% International Anti-Corruption Architecture % 9 36% Sports % 6 33% Law Enforcement % 6 35% Natural Resources % 6 38% Whistleblower/Civil Society Space Protection % 2 14% Training and assistance % 6 43% 5

6 Anti-Corruption Environment % 1 8% Open Data % 1 10% Public Sector Integrity % 2 20% Innovation % 5 50% Private Sector % 2 25% Denial of Entry % 0 0% Defence and Security 4 0 0% 2 50% OECD 4 0 0% 4 100% Bribery 2 0 0% 1 50% Total % % Table 1. Status of pledge by issue. 6

7 1. Political will was a key to success Political will was an important factor in delivering Summit commitments. When governments demonstrated that they wanted change by making ambitious pledges, they were more likely to achieve it. Ambitious commitments have the highest completion rate, at 20 per cent, and the lowest rate of inactivity (19 per cent) of all pledges within this schema. New and ambitious commitments have seen the highest rate of delivery, with 69 per cent of these being marked as complete, ongoing or underway. Sitting on the fence, by contrast, did not yield results. Somewhat ambitious and somewhat new pledges which often reflect a lack of intent had much poorer implementation rates. Just four per cent of these commitments have been completed, and 59 per cent haven t been started at all. 7

8 Total Complete Inactive Ongoing Overdue Underway # % # % # % # % # % # % Ambitious New Not New Somewhat New Somewhat Ambitious New Not New Somewhat New Not Ambitious New Not New Somewhat New Other No Information Available Total Table 2. Status of ambitious and new pledges The data on ambitious pledges also suggests that the format of the Summit led to some success. The Summit broke with the practice of other consensus-based, multilateral forums such as the G7 and G20, where all participants must subscribe to a single declaration. This allowed some, although not all, governments to be ambitious in their individual country statements. And ambition, generally, led to action. 8

9 2. Two unanticipated standout performers: Spain and Indonesia Analyses by TI s in-country chapters found that Spain and Indonesia were the standout performers of the Summit. The two countries are responsible for 51 per cent of all the completed pledges, however, only 13 per cent of Indonesia s completed pledges were new, in comparison to 40 per cent of Spain s. These results do not mean that Spain and Indonesia have solved their well-documented corruption problems, but it offers encouragement that they are serious about tackling them. France, Mexico and the UK complete the cluster of stronger performing countries and have each completed six pledges, although France is overdue on three pledges and Mexico is inactive on six, while the UK is overdue on three commitments and inactive on another three. The majority of both France and the UK s overdue and inactive pledges were classified as new, which suggests these governments might yet improve their results in time. 3. Three high-income laggards: Japan, Switzerland and United States of America Four countries are responsible for close to half of the country commitments on which no action is being taken. Afghanistan, Japan, Switzerland and the USA are inactive on a total of 52 of the 115 inactive pledges. It is perhaps unsurprising that Afghanistan s highly ambitious programme is mostly inactive, but the poor performance of three high-income global financial centres is more noteworthy. 9

10 Switzerland and Japan stand out among the Summit s worst performers. Their rates of inactivity were 77 per cent and 68 per cent, respectively. Moreover, all of their pledges were graded not new or somewhat new, which suggests that a lack of time to implement commitments was not a hindrance. The USA is inactive on 55 per cent of its Summit pledges, even though more than half of its pledges were also not new, and the new administration s commitment to anti-corruption remains to be seen. Three highly significant governments, which each regulate major economies, disperse US$ billions in aid and are usually expected to show global leadership, failed to take effective action against corruption following the Summit. This has held back overall progress since the Summit. 4. Works in progress: Argentina, Colombia, France, Mexico and Nigeria Twenty seven per cent of government commitments are classified by Transparency International as underway. The average number of underway pledges is five - but a handful of governments have 10 or more. These include Argentina, Colombia and Mexico in the Americas, and France and Nigeria. In the case of Argentina, Colombia and France, six or more of their underway pledges were not new, which raises concerns about their delivery process. The final outcomes of the 105 underway pledges, particularly in these countries, will further shape the legacy of the Summit. A further 20 per cent of government pledges are classified as ongoing. Mexico, Russia and Colombia each have eight ongoing pledges, which accounts for nearly one third of the total. Whether these pledges remain ongoing in years to come will also define the Summit s ultimate impact. 5. International Organisations Unlike the commitments made by governments and the European Commission, which were assessed by TI chapters and national contacts, the remaining international organisations self-reported on their progress. Total Complete Inactive # # % # % Commonwealth Secretariat European Commission International Monetary Fund OECD United Nations World Bank Total Table 3. Status of pledges by international organisations International Organisations have started making progress, but have completed relatively few of their commitments in the 16 months since the Summit. Although their average completion rate of seven per cent is less than half the government average of 18, only the Commonwealth Secretariat and the UN have any inactive pledges. The Commonwealth Secretariat stands out as the worst performing organisation with more than half of its 13 pledges inactive, although it has completed two. The Commonwealth Summit, to be held in the UK in April 2018, will be another opportunity for the Commonwealth Secretariat to showcase its international anticorruption work on a global platform. 10

11 Almost half of the 69 pledges are reported as ongoing and many relate to the continuation, promotion or expansion of existing anticorruption initiatives. This suggests that governments now have additional capacity and resources in the fight against corruption. The UN is responsible for half of the underway commitments that have not yet been delivered while the World Bank owns another quarter. Thus, the jury is still out on whether these two organisations have made a success of the Summit. 11

12 II. Key Anti-Corruption Themes 1. Beneficial Ownership Sixty seven of the 384 government pledges relate to beneficial ownership, which makes it the issue to have received the most attention. Table 4 shows the delivery status of these pledges broken down by focus theme. Beneficial Ownership Total Complete Inactive Ongoing Overdue Underway Public Register Public Contracting Central Register Property Global Beneficial Ownership Register 1 1 Table 4. Status of Beneficial Ownership commitments Public registers, African promise Among the most significant commitments at the Summit were the 10 pledges to create or explore the creation of public registers of information on the people who ultimately own or control companies (known as beneficial owners ). Public registers of beneficial ownership are effective tools because they facilitate the work of domestic and international law enforcement, as well as civil society and the media, by guaranteeing free and immediate access to data. The UK launched its public register in June 2016, although the policy long predated the Summit. Three African states who announced their register pledges at the Summit have since taken promising steps towards implementation. Ghana amended its company law in August 2016 to mandate the company registrar to 12

13 collect data and maintain a register of beneficial ownership but the register is not yet public. A provision in a new bill, which would correct this, has been drafted and civil society groups hope it will be read in Parliament before the end of The Ghanaian bill s success will depend on the support of the New Patriotic Party and its leader Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who was elected President in January. In opposition, Afuko-Addo said it was necessary to lift the veil off public officials who hide behind cronies to amass wealth. Ghana and the international community are now watching to see if President Afuko-Addo and his party will deliver a public register. In Kenya, a bill to introduce a register of beneficial company ownership had its third reading in June; however, it does not currently include commitments to make the register public. Nigeria, meanwhile, is preparing a bill on beneficial ownership after it sent a delegation to the UK in February to exchange information and learn about register design. These countries, if they can push through their Summit pledge to implement public registers, will set a precedent on the African continent. Beyond national borders: public contracts and property Sixteen commitments focused on creating registers of beneficial ownership for all companies, domestic and foreign, involved in public contracting and buying property. Six of the nine pledges on public contracting are inactive, which perhaps reflects the challenge of the task, although governments are doing better with property (only two of seven are inactive). The UK, which made commitments in both areas, ran a public consultation in the spring and has committed to introduce primary legislation by April Open Ownership: standardising data for quality and comparability Open Ownership is a global civil society initiative that was created in the wake of the Summit. It has three functions. Firstly, it links beneficial ownership data from multiple sources to create a single, global source of information which is easily accessible to stakeholders. Secondly, it develops a common data standard so that information from multiple jurisdictions meets a commonly defined norm and can be linked and compared. Finally, it provides technical support to help stakeholders with implementation and best practice. Open Ownership currently hosts data from the UK, Slovakia and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative a global standard for disclosing information about oil, gas and mining sectors that now has 52 government signatories. Colombia, the only country to make a Summit pledge to provide data to Open Ownership s global register, has not yet submitted any information. However, in May Ukraine became the first country to agree to integrate its beneficial ownership data with the global register, which means the Ukrainian information in Open Ownership will automatically update in line with Ukraine s database. 2. Asset Recovery Asset Recovery was another major theme of the Summit and attracted 47 of the 384 government commitments. Table 5 shows the delivery status of these pledges broken down by focus theme. Asset Recovery Total Complete Inactive Ongoing Overdue Underway Accountable Repatriation Global Forum on Asset Recovery Unexplained Wealth Orders Table 5. Status of Asset Recovery Commitments 13

14 The Global Forum on Asset Recovery Asset recovery initiatives are often costly, long-term, multi-party, multi-jurisdictional efforts that are not always successful. At the Summit, four countries and two international organisations pledged to participate in the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR), which aims to improve outcomes by addressing the need for strong political commitment, international cooperation and practitioner interaction. The GFAR, which was originally scheduled for July 2017 but postponed until December 2017, will focus on assisting recovery in four countries; Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Ukraine. The US and the UK will co-host with support from the World Bank and UNODC. Nigeria s priority is expected to be the return of the Abacha loot - the estimated US$5 billion which the former military dictator appropriated in the 1990s and hid in numerous offshore locations. Debate is likely to focus on the US$480m that was forfeited to the US Department of Justice in 2014, but not yet returned to Nigeria. Two of the many obstacles the recovery has faced include a US legal challenge to the asset forfeiture (dismissed in February 2017) and a bill in the US Congress which stipulated that the returned money should support victims of Boko Haram. The latter triggered a debate about national sovereignty and the accountable management of returned assets, including the rights of other states to impose conditions on them. The Abacha case reflects many of the common challenges in asset recovery cases. Nearly 20 years after the dictator s death, Nigeria has had returned only a fraction of the money which was laundered through Europe and America. For the GFAR to work, its hosts and participants will need to step up their ambition and cooperation. Accountable repatriation More than one-third of asset recovery pledges were on accountable repatriation but a closer reading of the data suggests the Summit was not particularly effective on this issue. Half of the 16 commitments focused on the development of internationally endorsed guidelines for the transparent and accountable management of stolen assets. Yet five of these pledges are inactive - in Afghanistan, Argentina, Mexico and Switzerland (x2) - and only one is complete (in Spain), suggesting that no government has taken the lead in developing the guidelines so many have committed to. Given the lack of progress, and the upcoming GFAR, one potential next step for the World Bank and UNODC would be to begin devising an international framework to assist the drafting and adoption of new guidelines. Spain and Switzerland According to our national chapters analysis, the standout performer on asset recovery was Spain, which completed all five of its pledges. The country s new Asset Recovery and Management Office became fully 14

15 operational in January and staff have been trained on how to enforce legislation passed in 2015 on nonconviction based confiscation, extended confiscation and confiscation of third-party assets. Switzerland, by contrast, did not complete any of its four commitments (none of which were new). Yet this is not to say that Spain s asset recovery system is better than Switzerland s - some experts would say the opposite merely that the countries momentum appears to be taking them in opposite directions. Switzerland is the only country to return a significant amount of the Abacha loot - more than US$700 million at the last count. 3. Public Procurement Procurement was another major theme of the Summit and attracted 42 of the 384 commitments. Table Six shows the delivery status of these pledges broken down by focus theme. Public Procurement Total Complete Inactive Ongoing Overdue Underway Corrupt Bidders Debarment 1 1 Debarment Database Open Contracting Open Contracting Data Standard Open Contracting in Health Table 6: Status of procurement commitments Mexico: an emerging leader in open contracting Mexico is emerging as a global leader within the growing field of open contracting. The country is making good progress on its six procurement pledges (twice as many as any other country) with two complete, two ongoing and two underway. Mexico has successfully implemented the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) in its flagship infrastructure 15

16 project, the New International Airport for Mexico City, worth US$13 billion. Data and documents from the tender and awards of US$7.3 billion worth of contracts, in 291 procedures, are now accessible on an intelligently designed platform. The country s second flagship open contracting project, a Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the telecoms industry worth approximately US$392 million, launched in June. With support from the World Bank, the project is piloting the first PPP extension of the OCDS. The Mexican government is now aiming to scale the implementation of OCDS to all federal public contracts and plans to launch the beta version of a new procurement platform before the end of Mexico was also a founding member of the Contracting 5 (C5) - a global network for governments to share procurement ideas and innovations. Mexico was the C5 s first President and has led on website development and accession processes for new country members - both of which should be launched at the Open Contracting Summit in November. Open contracting in health Four governments committed to implementing open contracting in their healthcare sectors at the Summit and there is encouraging progress to report. Argentina s Ministry of Health began using a transparent e-procurement system in January while Nigeria s new open contracting portal - co-created with civil society - will be piloted by the Ministry of Health and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency. Mexico has made progress through its whole-government approach described above - while Malta, the fourth country to make a healthcare pledge, is not within TI s sample of countries. The UN made a pledge to work with the WHO to strengthen global, regional and country initiatives on open contracting in health, but this is currently inactive. Debarment and corrupt bidders Fourteen pledges looked at strengthening procedures for debarring corrupt companies from public tenders - primarily by creating or improving central databases and sharing data across borders. Only two commitments were ambitious and, instead, most pursued commitments that sought to explore ways of sharing information. 36 per cent of the pledges on debarment are currently inactive or overdue - in Brazil, Jordan, New Zealand and Switzerland (x2) - but even among the active countries, it does not appear that any government has found a strong solution to the challenge of debarring bidders and sharing information effectively. The World Bank s pledge to share information on its efforts to debar bidders and share information, which is underway, could be instructive when completed. 16

17 III: Looking ahead Numerous issues did not receive the attention they deserved at the London Anti-Corruption Summit in May 2016, or in the 16 months that followed. Four areas that still require greater action are sport, law enforcement, professional enablers and whistleblowing. Sport Events in recent years have reminded the world that sport is still at serious risk of corruption. As a multi-billion dollar business with close ties to political and private interests, international stakeholders must work closely together to minimise that risk. The Summit saw governments make 18 commitments around sport, specifically on governance, integrity in sport, and the development of an International Sports Integrity Partnership. The International Sports Integrity Partnership was launched in February 2017 in Lausanne, Switzerland, and plans to help prevent the risk of corruption in sport, enable better cooperation between key stakeholders and ensure a coordinated approach to the implementation of dedicated measures. Afghanistan, France, Georgia, Jordan, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the UK pledged to support or join the Partnership. However, the concrete steps that the Partnership intends to take are yet to be made public. People from all backgrounds, all around the world, have a stake in keeping sports clean. Sponsors, athletes, supporters, governments, journalists, business people, and those within sporting organisations could form a powerful partnership for sending a strong message that integrity in sport is non-negotiable. It will be important to watch the International Sports Integrity Partnership closely, measuring its effectiveness further down the line. Law Enforcement Most cases of grand corruption are cross-border, and the inability of law enforcement bodies to operate in multiple jurisdictions has, for a long time, been something of an Achilles heel. Twelve countries sought to address law enforcement cooperation at the Summit and made pledges towards creating or supporting the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC). The centre was formally launched in July by the UK s National Crime Agency, which will host the centre until 2021, with the participation of bodies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and the US. The IACCC is a forum for sharing intelligence between the primary jurisdictions in which stolen assets are laundered and for coordinating crossborder law enforcement investigations in countries where companies are known to bribe for public contracts. It also accepts referred cases of grand corruption from external law enforcement bodies. The IACCC could be the catalyst for change towards a new chapter of greater international cooperation between law enforcement bodies. Its success will hinge on securing intelligence sharing commitments from governments that regulate global financial centres. Although Switzerland has participated in the development of the Centre, and completed its somewhat ambitious pledge, its government has not committed to full participation and the sharing of intelligence. Interpol is expected to join the Centre before the end of the year. The IACCC will also require meaningful participation from countries where bribes are paid for public contracts. Political will and robust resources are crucial for intelligence agencies to function at their full potential. Law enforcement bodies from across the world, with different levels of funding and expertise, will need to collaborate pragmatically to pursue and prosecute criminals. Professional Enablers Asset recovery can be a relatively expensive and challenging process and, while it remains absolutely necessary, it is logical that governments should do more to prevent the illicit transfers of assets abroad from happening in the first place. This may sound common-sense but a crucial vulnerability remains in the integrity systems of almost all countries. To steal, hide and spend corrupt money, criminals rely on networks of lawyers, bankers and estate agents, but regulation and enforcement against these professional enablers is patchy and weak. 17

18 The Summit participants in Transparency International s sample did not effectively address professional enablers of corruption. In the context of tax evasion, France, Mexico and Nigeria pledged to review or enhance penalties against professional enablers but the latter two pledges are inactive while France s is underway. Despite a growing acknowledgement of the problem in the run-up to the Summit, these three pledges were the sum-total of action against enablers. The difficulties of developing and enforcing workable regulations are leading to a debate about whether a shift in focus would be productive. A small but growing number of countries are introducing banking regulations that ensure senior company executives can be held individually accountable for the non-compliance of their companies with anti-money laundering regulations. This principle of executive accountability could be deployed more widely to promote a reappraisal of the risk of handling tainted money in professional services. Whistleblowers The clear consensus among anti-corruption experts is that whistleblowing serves an important democratic function, but many of those who speak out in the public interest continue to face professional persecution, as well as civil and criminal lawsuits. There are whistleblowers in jail in all regions of the world. A mere seven pledges to protect whistleblowers were made by six countries at the Summit. In one of these countries, the UK (which is inactive on a pledge which is unfortunately both ambiguous and unambitious), proposals were drafted by the Law Commission to increase criminal penalties for whistleblowing from two to 14 years. This shift toward greater persecution broadly reflects the negative global direction of travel. France, however, which completed both its whistleblowing pledges, stands out for the right reasons. The anticorruption law (9 December 2016), which is also known as Sapin II after the Finance and Economy Minister Michel Sapin who drove it through Parliament, enshrines several protections for whistleblowers. This includes the exoneration of criminal responsibility for disclosing public interest information under certain conditions, the opportunity for whistleblowers to seek guidance and assistance from an independent body (called the Defender of Rights), and criminal and civil sanctions that guard against reprisals and defamation. In 2015, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression David Kaye, conducted the UN s first major review on whistleblower and source protection, while the OECD also conducted a review in 2016 of whistleblower protection frameworks in its member countries. There is, then, a model for governments to use when reviewing their existing whistleblowing frameworks. 18

19 IV. Conclusions and recommendations The Anti-Corruption Summit has proven to be a successful forum for tackling many issues. But while there has been a high rate of implementation across the board, some key players have dropped the ball on delivering commitments, even those which are recycled and unambitious. And though the Summit deserves credit for the high standard it set and the quantity of anti-corruption commitments it generated, the real impact of those commitments remains to be seen. The Summit set the agenda for the next decade in terms of what is important in the fight against corruption, and since then there has been even more clarity on where efforts should be focused. Looking ahead, there are two major international opportunities for governments to showcase their commitment to anti-corruption by reiterating existing pledges or making new and ambitious ones. The Commonwealth Summit will be hosted by the UK Government in April 2018, and the International Anti-Corruption Conference will be hosted by the Danish Government in October At both events the global anti-corruption community and stakeholders will be watching closely, and leaders should use these opportunities to demonstrate they are serious about tackling corruption. Recommendation 1: Governments should embed anti-corruption commitments into relevant accountable national procedures, such as anti-corruption strategies or OGP National Action Plans. Recommendation 2: Governments should ensure that anti-money laundering reforms are approached in a coordinated manner, with specific emphasis on beneficial ownership transparency, professional enablers, asset recovery, visa denial and robust law enforcement. Recommendation 3: Governments should implement the Open Contracting Data Standard, and learn from the leaders in the Contracting 5. Recommendation 4: Governments and international organisations should fulfil their existing anti-corruption commitments, and proactively publish information on when and how progress is made. Recommendation 5: Governments and international organisations should be ambitious and concrete in developing new anti-corruption commitments, ensuring that they are time-bound, with clarity over which departments or public bodies are responsible for delivering them. Recommendation 6: Governments and international organisations should collaborate with civil society, business and other stakeholders in the formation and delivery of anti-corruption commitments, ensuring anti-corruption efforts remain a priority on global agendas. Recommendation 7: Governments and international organisations should ensure that major anti-corruption meetings bring together leaders with genuine political will, and are open, multi-stakeholder and transparent, as was the 2016 Anti-Corruption Summit. 19

20 Annex Methodology note Progress since the Summit Transparency International UK worked with 28 TI national chapters or partner organisations and 5 international organisations to track progress on the Anti-Corruption Summit commitments since they were announced. Chapters were asked to: 1. Select the commitments to monitor: Go through the relevant country commitments and eliminate which were too vague to track. 2. Contact and work with government: Identify government department responsible for delivering each commitment Inform the responsible department that their progress will be monitored Identify expected timeline for delivering each commitment 3. Track the commitments: Look for and provide public evidence 1 for each commitment where progress had been made Make a note of which commitments were inactive, overdue, ongoing, underway or complete International Organisations were asked to provide an internal analysis of progress on each commitment, providing public evidence for each and making a note of which commitments were inactive, overdue, ongoing, underway or complete. Bearing this methodology in mind, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of this project. Whilst the selection used is large (around 60 per cent of the total commitments counted in September), it is still only a selection, and should not be seen as indicative of progress in areas or across themes that are not addressed. We were unable to monitor progress in all countries. The definitions of the categories inactive, overdue, ongoing, underway or complete are outlined below. Complete This commitment has been completed, based on publicly available evidence. Underway Activity has started on delivering this commitment, based on publicly available evidence. Ongoing Commitment has no clear end point and activity has started, based on publicly available evidence. Overdue This commitment was not completed by the deadline. Inactive No activity has taken place on this commitment OR there is no accessible public evidence of activity having taken place on this commitment. Strength of Summit commitments In September 2016 TI released an assessment of the strength of Summit commitments. Each commitment was assessed as to how concrete, new and ambitious it is. 1 Publicly available evidence could be a link to a government website, an online letter, a media article or blog anything that is publicly available and supports the chapter s assessment that progress has started. 20

21 Concrete commitments are those with measurable language such as we commit to join, or we commit to establish. Somewhat concrete commitments include language that signal intent to make progress without there being an easily measurable outcome. This includes phrases such as we commit to explore or we support. Commitments identified as other are those indicating existing actions that can be monitored, such as we will continue or we are in the final stage of. New commitments were defined as those generated by the Anti-Corruption Summit. Somewhat new commitments are those that are facilitated by or reinvigorated by the Summit but had been previously discussed. Not new commitments were already in place prior to the Summit. Other commitments refers to pledges that were already on the table but it is unclear when the commitment was made official. National civil society organisations took national context into consideration when assessing the level of ambition. For this reason similar commitments in different countries receive different assessments. Where we were unable to receive a response from civil society on a certain national issue in the available time, the commitment is marked as no information available. Organisations credited for monitoring their relevant governments 2 Afghanistan Argentina Australia Brazil Bulgaria China Colombia European Commission France Georgia Germany Ghana Indonesia Japan Jordan Kenya Mexico Nigeria South Korea Romania Russia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Switzerland Trinidad UK Ukraine USA Integrity Watch Afghanistan Poder Ciudadano Transparency International Australia Transparency International Brazil Transparency International Bulgaria Transparency International China Transparencia Colombia Transparency International EU Transparency International France Transparency International Georgia Transparency International Germany Ghana Integrity Initiative Transparency International Indonesia Transparency International Japan Rasheed Transparency International Kenya Transparencia Mexicana Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre Transparency International Korea Transparency International Romania Transparency International Russia Corruption Watch Transparency International España Transparency International Sri Lanka Transparency International Switzerland Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Initiative Transparency International UK Transparency International Ukraine Global Witness (USA), ONE (USA), Global Financial Integrity (USA) 2 The Norwegian Government was not responsive to Transparency International Norway s attempt to monitor its Anti- Corruption Summit commitments. Norway is therefore not included in the database. 21

22

23

24

PROMISE TO PRACTICE Monitoring Global Progress of the 2016 Anti-Corruption Summit Commitments

PROMISE TO PRACTICE Monitoring Global Progress of the 2016 Anti-Corruption Summit Commitments PROMISE TO PRACTICE Monitoring Global Progress of the 2016 Anti-Corruption Summit Commitments Transparency International is the world s leading non-governmental anti-corruption organisation. With more

More information

ANTI-CORRUPTION SUMMIT PLEDGES AND OGP NATIONAL ACTION PLANS: HOW DO THEY STACK UP?

ANTI-CORRUPTION SUMMIT PLEDGES AND OGP NATIONAL ACTION PLANS: HOW DO THEY STACK UP? ANTI-CORRUPTION SUMMIT PLEDGES AND OGP NATIONAL ACTION PLANS: HOW DO THEY STACK UP? Jameela Raymond, José María Marín, Aly Marczynski, Rose Whiffen TI UK and TI Secretariat July 2018 2 Anti-corruption

More information

Jacques Visser Chief Legal Officer DIFC Authority Level 14, The Gate, P. O. Box Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Jacques Visser Chief Legal Officer DIFC Authority Level 14, The Gate, P. O. Box Dubai, United Arab Emirates Berlin Brussels Buenos Aires Lima London Nairobi New Delhi Washington Jacques Visser Chief Legal Officer DIFC Authority Level 14, The Gate, P. O. Box 74777 Dubai, United Arab Emirates 15 May 2017 Dear

More information

PROGRESS REPORT ON THE G20 SELF-ASSESSMENT ON COMBATING THE BRIBERY OF FOREIGN PUBLIC OFFICIALS

PROGRESS REPORT ON THE G20 SELF-ASSESSMENT ON COMBATING THE BRIBERY OF FOREIGN PUBLIC OFFICIALS PROGRESS REPORT ON THE G20 SELF-ASSESSMENT ON COMBATING THE BRIBERY OF FOREIGN PUBLIC OFFICIALS June 2015 1 Introduction 1. At the meeting of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) in February 2014,

More information

CORRUPTION & THE COMMONWEALTH

CORRUPTION & THE COMMONWEALTH CORRUPTION & THE COMMONWEALTH Transparency International is the world s leading non-governmental anti-corruption organisation. With more than 100 chapters worldwide, Transparency International has extensive

More information

Minutes of Meeting. ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific. Participants. Chairs of the Meeting. Summary of the Discussions

Minutes of Meeting. ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific. Participants. Chairs of the Meeting. Summary of the Discussions 16th Steering Group Meeting New Delhi, India, 27 September 2011 Public Management, Governance and Participation Division Asian Development Bank Anti-Corruption Division Organisation for Economic Co-operation

More information

Ref: PSA/WP/DO(2012)32 06 February Dear Alex,

Ref: PSA/WP/DO(2012)32 06 February Dear Alex, The Director CENTRE FOR TAX POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION Mr. Alexander Trepelkov Director, Financing for Development Office Department of Economic and Social Affairs United Nations E-mail: trepelkov@un.org

More information

GLOBAL FORUM ON ASSET RECOVERY COMMUNIQUE. Washington D.C. December 4-6, 2017

GLOBAL FORUM ON ASSET RECOVERY COMMUNIQUE. Washington D.C. December 4-6, 2017 GLOBAL FORUM ON ASSET RECOVERY COMMUNIQUE Washington D.C. December 4-6, 2017 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America co-hosted the first Global Forum on

More information

Accelerated International Momentum to Return Stolen Assets

Accelerated International Momentum to Return Stolen Assets Series Accelerated International Momentum to Return Stolen Assets United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) UNODC World Bank Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR) July 2016 More Information http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/ffd-follow-up/inter-agency-task-force.html

More information

FATF Report to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors

FATF Report to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors FATF Report to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors March 2018 FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an independent inter-governmental body that develops

More information

Absolute Liability for a Failure to Prevent Foreign Bribery: Significant Change Ahead in Australia?

Absolute Liability for a Failure to Prevent Foreign Bribery: Significant Change Ahead in Australia? WHITE PAPER December 2017 Absolute Liability for a Failure to Prevent Foreign Bribery: Significant Change Ahead in Australia? Australia s Federal Government has tabled the Crimes Legislation Amendment

More information

Oxfam s Global Leaders Empowered to Alleviate Poverty (LEAP)

Oxfam s Global Leaders Empowered to Alleviate Poverty (LEAP) Oxfam s Global Leaders Empowered to Alleviate Poverty (LEAP) Evaluation Highlights Key finding: From 2011 to 2014, LEAP enabled Oxfam to make significant contributions to policies in favor of poverty reduction

More information

ISO Anti-bribery management system standard

ISO Anti-bribery management system standard ISO 37001 Anti-bribery management system standard Neill Stansbury Chair: ISO 37001 Project Committee Co-founder & Director: GIACC www.giaccentre.org 2016 GIACC 1 Bribery is a significant business risk

More information

THE ANTI-CORRUPTION SUMMIT

THE ANTI-CORRUPTION SUMMIT THE ANTI-CORRUPTION SUMMIT DEFINING SUCCESS, AMBITION AND IMPACT AT THE LONDON ANTI-CORRUPTION SUMMIT ON MAY 12, 2016 Transparency International is a global movement with one vision: a world in which government,

More information

GIFT Work Plan for 2017 Lead Stewards Meeting, January 17, 2017 Second version - January 31, 2017

GIFT Work Plan for 2017 Lead Stewards Meeting, January 17, 2017 Second version - January 31, 2017 GIFT Work Plan for 2017 Lead Stewards Meeting, January 17, 2017 Second version - January 31, 2017 Introduction 2017 is a transition year for GIFT. The World Bank s Development Grant Facility (2013-16)

More information

Global Forum on Asset Recovery Washington, DC, December 4-6, In-session summary

Global Forum on Asset Recovery Washington, DC, December 4-6, In-session summary Global Forum on Asset Recovery Washington, DC, December 4-6, 2017 Co-hosted by the United Kingdom and the United States of America with the support of the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR), a partnership

More information

Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information

Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information BACKGROUND INFORMATION BRIEF Updated: 13 February 2014 For more information please contact: Pascal Saint-Amans, Director, OECD Centre for Tax Policy

More information

Introduction. I. Background

Introduction. I. Background High Level Panel (HLP) on Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) from Africa Briefing Note on the ongoing efforts to curb Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) from Africa Introduction The aim of the briefing note is

More information

Objectives for FATF XXV ( ) Paper by the incoming President

Objectives for FATF XXV ( ) Paper by the incoming President Objectives for FATF XXV (2013-2014) Paper by the incoming President Main tasks for the FATF in 2013-2014, in line with the Ministerial Mandate of 20 April 2012: I. INTRODUCTION Promoting and facilitating

More information

REPUBLIC OF KENYA. STATEMENT Kenya Country Statement delivered during UNCAC BY

REPUBLIC OF KENYA. STATEMENT Kenya Country Statement delivered during UNCAC BY REPUBLIC OF KENYA STATEMENT Kenya Country Statement delivered during UNCAC BY HON. KENNETH LUSAKA, CBS, MP SPEAKER OF THE SENATE & LEADER OF DELEGATION 7 TH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF STATES PARTIES

More information

Report on cooperation challenges faced by the Court with respect to financial investigations. Workshop October 2015, The Hague, Netherlands

Report on cooperation challenges faced by the Court with respect to financial investigations. Workshop October 2015, The Hague, Netherlands Report on cooperation challenges faced by the Court with respect to financial investigations Workshop 26-27 October 2015, The Hague, Netherlands Forward-looking conclusions Strengthening financial investigations

More information

Draft Report of the 6th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Administrative Reform

Draft Report of the 6th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Administrative Reform Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) 6th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Administrative Reform Geneva, Switzerland, 28 May 2010 Draft Report of the 6th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group

More information

Working Group on Bribery: 2012 Data on Enforcement of the Anti-Bribery Convention

Working Group on Bribery: 2012 Data on Enforcement of the Anti-Bribery Convention Working Group on Bribery: 2012 Data on Enforcement of the Anti-Bribery Convention Highlights from the Working Group on Bribery Enforcement Data, as of December 2012 221 individuals and 90 entities have

More information

Practical Implementation of UN Standards and Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) Recommendations: Challenges and Assistance

Practical Implementation of UN Standards and Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) Recommendations: Challenges and Assistance 2007/ACT/WKSP/005 Practical Implementation of UN Standards and Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) Recommendations: Challenges and Assistance Submitted by: United Nations Office on Drugs

More information

G8/G20 TAXATION ISSUES : Tax Training Day, ODI, London 16 September 2013

G8/G20 TAXATION ISSUES : Tax Training Day, ODI, London 16 September 2013 G8/G20 TAXATION ISSUES : Tax Training Day, ODI, London 16 September 2013 BASE EROSION AND PROFIT SHIFTING 2 OECD Work on Taxation Focus has historically been on the development of common standards to eliminate

More information

Dear Mr. Welcome. With respect to a number of questions in your consultation under Section Three, we therefore give the following responses:

Dear Mr. Welcome. With respect to a number of questions in your consultation under Section Three, we therefore give the following responses: International Secretariat Alt-Moabit 96 10559 Berlin, Germany Tel: 49-30-3438 20-0 Fax: 49-30-3470 3912 Email: ti@transparency.org http://www.transparency.org Wilbur Welcome Senior Policy Analyst, Financial

More information

Politically Exposed Persons Policy vs. Local Corruption

Politically Exposed Persons Policy vs. Local Corruption EUROPE, GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRIME REVIEW, MARCH - MAY 2018 Politically Exposed Persons Policy vs. Local Corruption MARCH 20, 2018 The politically exposed persons (PEPs) issue is a recurrent theme for the

More information

Current Issues in International Tax Policy

Current Issues in International Tax Policy Current Issues in International Tax Policy Shigeto HIKI Director, International Tax Policy Division, Tax Bureau, Ministry of Finance, Japan The Fourth IMF-Japan High-Level Tax Conference For Asian Countries

More information

DECLARATION ON CURBING ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS THROUGH GOOD FINANCIAL GOVERNANCE

DECLARATION ON CURBING ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS THROUGH GOOD FINANCIAL GOVERNANCE DECLARATION ON CURBING ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS THROUGH GOOD FINANCIAL GOVERNANCE UNITED AGAINST ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS We, the African Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (AFROPAC), the African

More information

CORRUPTION. A Reference Guide and Information Note. on the use of the FATF Recommendations. to support the fight against Corruption

CORRUPTION. A Reference Guide and Information Note. on the use of the FATF Recommendations. to support the fight against Corruption FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE CORRUPTION A Reference Guide and Information Note on the use of the FATF Recommendations to support the fight against Corruption The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the

More information

OVERVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL ANTI-BRIBERY LAWS

OVERVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL ANTI-BRIBERY LAWS Global Investigations in an International World: Managing Investigations in the Face of a Proliferation of New Anti-Bribery Laws and Cooperation Among Governments Todd Braunstein, Willis Towers Watson

More information

Prior to submitting the BO roadmaps, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago have started approaching BO disclosures in practice.

Prior to submitting the BO roadmaps, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago have started approaching BO disclosures in practice. 1 Globally 86% of EITI implementing countries submitted a BO roadmap within the established deadline. In the Latin America and Caribbean region the percentage of countries timely covering the EITI Requirement

More information

U.S. AFAR Action Plan Implementation Road Map

U.S. AFAR Action Plan Implementation Road Map Action Plan commitment Progress so far Timetable for next steps Seek to enhance responsiveness: Take into account the importance of transition countries requests for case assistance in recovering proceeds

More information

Beneficial Ownership of Jersey Corporate and Legal Entities and a Register of Directors Policy Document

Beneficial Ownership of Jersey Corporate and Legal Entities and a Register of Directors Policy Document Beneficial Ownership of Jersey Corporate and Legal Entities and a Register of Directors Policy Document Introductory Statement Senator Philip Ozouf Assistant Chief Minister of Jersey: Financial Services,

More information

G20 International Financial Institution Reform Commitments and Compliance

G20 International Financial Institution Reform Commitments and Compliance G20 International Financial Institution Reform Commitments and Compliance Research Report by Brittaney Warren, Researcher and Chief Compliance Analyst, G20 Research Group Introduction On December 1, 2016,

More information

International Monetary and Financial Committee

International Monetary and Financial Committee International Monetary and Financial Committee Thirty-Third Meeting April 16, 2016 IMFC Statement by Michel Sapin Minister of Finance and Public Accounts, France On behalf of France INTERNATIONAL MONETARY

More information

Corruption Prevention International Best Practices. Stephen Leach Advisor Australia Indonesia Partnership for Justice November 16, 2016

Corruption Prevention International Best Practices. Stephen Leach Advisor Australia Indonesia Partnership for Justice November 16, 2016 Corruption Prevention International Best Practices Stephen Leach Advisor Australia Indonesia Partnership for Justice November 16, 2016 Corruption A Global Problem Not One Single Country, Anywhere, is Corruption

More information

EXTERNAL AUDIT AND OVERSIGHT TOPIC GUIDE COMPILED BY THE ANTI-CORRUPTION HELPDESK

EXTERNAL AUDIT AND OVERSIGHT TOPIC GUIDE COMPILED BY THE ANTI-CORRUPTION HELPDESK EXTERNAL AUDIT AND OVERSIGHT TOPIC GUIDE COMPILED BY THE ANTI-CORRUPTION HELPDESK Transparency International is a global movement with one vision: a world in which government, business, civil society and

More information

Mauritius Communiqué on the Global Conference on Anti- Corruption Reform in Small Island States

Mauritius Communiqué on the Global Conference on Anti- Corruption Reform in Small Island States 4 November 2015 English only Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption Sixth session St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, 2-6 November 2015 Mauritius Communiqué

More information

The Global Anti-Corruption Consortium Journalists and Activists for Justice

The Global Anti-Corruption Consortium Journalists and Activists for Justice The Global Anti-Corruption Consortium Journalists and Activists for Justice Award winning investigative journalists and anti-corruption activists turn headlines into action We live in an information age,

More information

NIGERIA OGP NATIONAL ACTION PLAN

NIGERIA OGP NATIONAL ACTION PLAN NIGERIA OGP NATIONAL ACTION PLAN Commitment 9 Full implementation of Open Contracting and adoption of Open Contracting Data Standards in the public sector. 1 To set up a cabinet committee to co-ordinate

More information

OXFORD CENTRE FOR BUSINESS TAXATION

OXFORD CENTRE FOR BUSINESS TAXATION OXFORD CENTRE FOR BUSINESS TAXATION Oxford, 23 March 2006 "The European Commission's business taxation agenda" SPEAKING NOTES Ladies and gentlemen, It is a great pleasure to be here tonight. I am grateful

More information

WHY CAPITAL FLIGHT? HOW PLUGGING THE LEAKS COULD CONTRIBUTE TO POVERTY ALLEVIATION

WHY CAPITAL FLIGHT? HOW PLUGGING THE LEAKS COULD CONTRIBUTE TO POVERTY ALLEVIATION NEW RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPMENT FINANCE TAXATION MECHANISMS FOR ACHIEVEMENT OF THE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS United Nations, New York, Tuesday 25 th April 2006 WHY CAPITAL FLIGHT? HOW PLUGGING THE LEAKS

More information

APEC Finance Ministers Process (FMP) Roadmap/Cebu Action Plan

APEC Finance Ministers Process (FMP) Roadmap/Cebu Action Plan Annex A. APEC Finance Ministers Process (FMP) Roadmap/Cebu Action Plan We, the APEC Finance Ministers launched the Cebu Action Plan (CAP) on 11 September 2015 in Mactan, Cebu, with the goal of building

More information

2013 Lough Erne G8 Summit Interim Compliance Report

2013 Lough Erne G8 Summit Interim Compliance Report The G8 Research Group at the Munk School of Global Affairs at Trinity College in the University of Toronto presents the 2013 Lough Erne G8 Summit Interim Compliance Report 18 June 2013 to 13 January 2014

More information

DRAFT Agenda. Arab Forum on Asset Recovery September 2012 St. Regis Hotel, Doha, State of Qatar

DRAFT Agenda. Arab Forum on Asset Recovery September 2012 St. Regis Hotel, Doha, State of Qatar DRAFT Agenda Arab Forum on Asset Recovery 11-13 September 2012 St. Regis Hotel, Doha, State of Qatar Background: The Deauville Partnership with Arab Countries in transition is an international effort launched

More information

CRS-2 develop and promote policies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. 3 Recently, China and South Korea were granted observer status,

CRS-2 develop and promote policies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. 3 Recently, China and South Korea were granted observer status, Order Code RS21904 Updated January 30, 2008 Summary The Financial Action Task Force: An Overview James K. Jackson Specialist in International Trade and Finance Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division

More information

G20 STUDY GROUP ON CLIMATE FINANCE PROGRESS REPORT. (November )

G20 STUDY GROUP ON CLIMATE FINANCE PROGRESS REPORT. (November ) G20 STUDY GROUP ON CLIMATE FINANCE PROGRESS REPORT (November 2 2012) SECTION 1 OVERVIEW OF STUDY GROUP INTRODUCTION This study group has been tasked by G20 leaders in Los Cabos to consider ways to effectively

More information

Common Reporting Standard A work in progress requiring high reactivity. Alain Verbeken Director Cross-border Tax Deloitte

Common Reporting Standard A work in progress requiring high reactivity. Alain Verbeken Director Cross-border Tax Deloitte Common Reporting Standard A work in progress requiring high reactivity Pascal Eber Partner Operations Excellence & Human Capital Deloitte Alain Verbeken Director Cross-border Tax Deloitte Alexandre Havard

More information

CSO GFAR report on Sri Lanka

CSO GFAR report on Sri Lanka CSO GFAR report on Sri Lanka Country: Sri Lanka Report submitted by: Transparency International Sri Lanka +94 (0) 114 369781, ed@tisrilanka.org Main authors: Ms. Sankhitha Gunaratne (sankhitha@tisrilanka.org),

More information

Basel Committee on Banking Supervision

Basel Committee on Banking Supervision Basel Committee on Banking Supervision Implementation of Basel standards A report to G20 Leaders on implementation of the Basel III regulatory reforms August 2016 This publication is available on the BIS

More information

Justice Committee evidence session: The Work of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) Pre-hearing memorandum from the Serious Fraud Office

Justice Committee evidence session: The Work of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) Pre-hearing memorandum from the Serious Fraud Office Justice Committee evidence session: The Work of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) Pre-hearing memorandum from the Serious Fraud Office 1 Summary 1.1 This memorandum provides high-level and summary information

More information

5. Ireland is Countering Aggressive Tax Planning

5. Ireland is Countering Aggressive Tax Planning CONTENTS 1. Foreword by the Minister for Finance 2. Introduction 3. Ireland s International Tax Charter 4. Ireland s Corporate Tax Strategy 5. Ireland is Countering Aggressive Tax Planning 6. Conclusion

More information

Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption

Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption United Nations CAC/COSP/WG.2/2018/2 Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption Distr.: General 4 April 2018 Original: English Open-ended Intergovernmental Working

More information

Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption

Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption United Nations Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption Distr.: General 23 September 2009 Original: English Third session Doha, 9-13 November 2009 Note verbale

More information

Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes. Statement of Outcomes

Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes. Statement of Outcomes Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes Statement of Outcomes 1. On 25-26 October 2011, over 250 delegates from 84 jurisdictions and 9 international organisations and

More information

STRUCTURAL REFORMS & GLOBAL COOPERATION ARE NEEDED TO BOOST ECONOMIC GROWTH

STRUCTURAL REFORMS & GLOBAL COOPERATION ARE NEEDED TO BOOST ECONOMIC GROWTH STRUCTURAL REFORMS & GLOBAL COOPERATION ARE NEEDED TO BOOST ECONOMIC GROWTH By Ho Meng Kit Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) Last month, from 3 to 5 September, business

More information

Unit 6: Opening up the parliamentary process

Unit 6: Opening up the parliamentary process Unit 6: Opening up the parliamentary process Learning objectives How do public meetings influence the budget process? After studying this unit you should be able to: Discuss the pros and cons of opening

More information

Setting up in Denmark

Setting up in Denmark Setting up in Denmark 6. Taxation The Danish tax system for individuals rests on the global taxation principle. The principle holds that the income of individuals and companies with full tax liability

More information

Accelerating the IFF Agenda for African Countries

Accelerating the IFF Agenda for African Countries Accelerating the IFF Agenda for African Countries January 2017 Accelerating the IFF Agenda for African Countries Global Financial Integrity TrustAfrica Tax Justice Network-Africa (TJN-A) Pan African Lawyers

More information

Encouraging trade and inward investment

Encouraging trade and inward investment 79 Building our Industrial Strategy Encouraging trade and inward investment The opportunity The Government is committed to building a truly global Britain; a great, global trading nation that reaches out

More information

Frequently Asked Questions Transparency International 2008 Bribe Payers Index

Frequently Asked Questions Transparency International 2008 Bribe Payers Index Frequently Asked Questions Transparency International 1. What is the Transparency International (BPI)? 2. Which countries are included in the 2008 BPI? 3. How is the 2008 BPI calculated? 4. Whose views

More information

2. JULY 2015 INITIAL ASSESSMENT AND FINAL STATEMENT UNITED STEEL WORKERS AND BIRLESIK METAL IS VS NORGES BANK INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

2. JULY 2015 INITIAL ASSESSMENT AND FINAL STATEMENT UNITED STEEL WORKERS AND BIRLESIK METAL IS VS NORGES BANK INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT 2. JULY 2015 INITIAL ASSESSMENT AND FINAL STATEMENT UNITED STEEL WORKERS AND BIRLESIK METAL IS VS NORGES BANK INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Initial Assessment and Final Statement United Steel

More information

How are legal arrangements (express trusts and trust-like agreements) formed in the United States?

How are legal arrangements (express trusts and trust-like agreements) formed in the United States? USA Response: Collection of Information Regarding Implementation of Resolution 7/2 of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption In response to the Secretariat s request for

More information

OBJECTIVES FOR FATF XXVII ( )

OBJECTIVES FOR FATF XXVII ( ) OBJECTIVES FOR FATF XXVII (2015-2016) PAPER BY THE INCOMING PRESIDENT List of priorities 1. Enhancing FATF and FSRB s efforts in countering terrorist financing 2. Addressing the challenges faced by the

More information

QUESTIONNAIRE Country self-assessment report on implementation and enforcement of G20 commitments on foreign bribery

QUESTIONNAIRE Country self-assessment report on implementation and enforcement of G20 commitments on foreign bribery QUESTIONNAIRE Country self-assessment report on implementation and enforcement of G20 commitments on foreign bribery G20 countries are invited to complete the questionnaire, below, on the implementation

More information

TAX EVASION AND AVOIDANCE: Questions and Answers

TAX EVASION AND AVOIDANCE: Questions and Answers EUROPEAN COMMISSION MEMO Brussels, 6 December 2012 TAX EVASION AND AVOIDANCE: Questions and Answers See also IP/12/1325 Tax Evasion Why has the Commission presented an Action Plan on Tax fraud and evasion?

More information

The Camden Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network (CARIN)

The Camden Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network (CARIN) 2013/ACT/NET/002 Session 1 The Camden Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network (CARIN) Purpose: Information Submitted by: CARIN Anti-Corruption and Transparency Network Preparatory Meeting Bali, Indonesia 18-19

More information

Enterprise Europe Network SME growth outlook

Enterprise Europe Network SME growth outlook Enterprise Europe Network SME growth outlook 2018-19 een.ec.europa.eu 2 Enterprise Europe Network SME growth outlook 2018-19 Foreword The European Commission wants to ensure that small and medium-sized

More information

FOURTH MEETING OF THE OECD FORUM ON TAX ADMINISTRATION January Cape Town Communiqué 11 January 2008

FOURTH MEETING OF THE OECD FORUM ON TAX ADMINISTRATION January Cape Town Communiqué 11 January 2008 ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT FOURTH MEETING OF THE OECD FORUM ON TAX ADMINISTRATION 10-11 January 2008 Cape Town Communiqué 11 January 2008 CENTRE FOR TAX POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION

More information

Guide to Treatment of Withholding Tax Rates. January 2018

Guide to Treatment of Withholding Tax Rates. January 2018 Guide to Treatment of Withholding Tax Rates Contents 1. Introduction 1 1.1. Aims of the Guide 1 1.2. Withholding Tax Definition 1 1.3. Double Taxation Treaties 1 1.4. Information Sources 1 1.5. Guide Upkeep

More information

22 nd Year of Publication. A monthly publication from South Indian Bank.

22 nd Year of Publication. A monthly publication from South Indian Bank. Experience Next Generation Banking To kindle interest in economic affairs... To empower the student community... Open YAccess www.sib.co.in ho2099@sib.co.in A monthly publication from South Indian Bank

More information

Full report. Value for money in foreign aid? - Currency management in international development cooperation (RiR 2014:19) AUDIT REPORT

Full report. Value for money in foreign aid? - Currency management in international development cooperation (RiR 2014:19) AUDIT REPORT AUDIT REPORT 1 Full report Value for money in foreign aid? - Currency management in international development cooperation (RiR 2014:19) SWEDISH NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE Contents Summary 3 1 Introduction

More information

The benefits for Uganda of joining the emerging global transparency standard for extractive industry revenues

The benefits for Uganda of joining the emerging global transparency standard for extractive industry revenues The benefits for Uganda of joining the emerging global transparency standard for extractive industry revenues August 2013 This paper summarizes the implications for Uganda of the new international transparency

More information

THE SWEDISH OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP ACTION PLAN MORE EFFECTIVELY MANAGING PUBLIC RESOURCES IN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

THE SWEDISH OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP ACTION PLAN MORE EFFECTIVELY MANAGING PUBLIC RESOURCES IN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION THE SWEDISH OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP ACTION PLAN MORE EFFECTIVELY MANAGING PUBLIC RESOURCES IN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION 1 Introduction By joining the Open Government Partnership, Sweden reaffirmed its

More information

CAFOD SUBMISSION TO THE IDC INQUIRY ON TACKLING CORRUPTION OVERSEAS

CAFOD SUBMISSION TO THE IDC INQUIRY ON TACKLING CORRUPTION OVERSEAS CAFOD SUBMISSION TO THE IDC INQUIRY ON TACKLING CORRUPTION OVERSEAS CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and part of Caritas Internationalis. Since 2002 we have

More information

Strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth a cornerstone of development

Strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth a cornerstone of development Strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth a cornerstone of development Marina Larionova 1 National Research University Higher School of Economics Taking stock of the progress so far The G20 leaders

More information

- 1 - Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy German National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines

- 1 - Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy German National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines - 1 - Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy German National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines Report by the Federal Government to the German Bundestag concerning the work undertaken by the

More information

MOBILISING DOMESTIC RESOURCES

MOBILISING DOMESTIC RESOURCES Element 11, PAPER 2 OECD AND POST-2015 REFLECTIONS Strengthening Tax Systems to Mobilise Domestic Resources in the Post-2015 Development Agenda Strengthening domestic tax collection will be essential to

More information

United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI)

United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) HSBC Progress Report 2013 Prepared by: HSBC Insurance Holdings Plc Date: 22 April 2014 UNEP

More information

TREATY SERIES 2003 Nº 2. Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions

TREATY SERIES 2003 Nº 2. Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions TREATY SERIES 2003 Nº 2 Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions Done at Paris on 17 December 1997 Signed on behalf of Ireland on 17 December 1997

More information

Public financial management is an essential part of the development process.

Public financial management is an essential part of the development process. IDA at Work Public Financial Management: Tracking Resources for Better Results Public financial management is an essential part of the development process. It supports the efficient and accountable use

More information

Anti-money laundering Annual report 2017/18

Anti-money laundering Annual report 2017/18 Anti-money laundering Annual report 2017/18 Anti-money laundering Contents 1 Introduction 4 2 Policy developments 5 3 OPBAS 7 4 How our AML supervision is evolving 8 5 Findings and outcomes 9 6 Financial

More information

Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption

Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption United Nations CAC/COSP/WG.2/2011/3 Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption Distr.: General 22 June 2011 Original: English Open-ended Intergovernmental Working

More information

Starting. a Business. Doing Business Transparency of information at business registries

Starting. a Business. Doing Business Transparency of information at business registries Doing Business 218 Starting a Business Transparency of information at business registries Governments and civil society have come together in recent years to increase the transparency of business information.

More information

Moving Forward on the Global Transparency and Tax Information Exchange Agenda. Remarks by Angel Gurría, Secretary-General OECD

Moving Forward on the Global Transparency and Tax Information Exchange Agenda. Remarks by Angel Gurría, Secretary-General OECD Moving Forward on the Global Transparency and Tax Information Exchange Agenda Remarks by Angel Gurría, Secretary-General OECD Berlin, 23 June 2009 Ladies and Gentlemen, distinguished Ministers: The last

More information

ITUC/TUAC EVALUATION OF THE G20 FINANCE MINISTERS MEETING (ST ANDREWS, 7 NOVEMBER

ITUC/TUAC EVALUATION OF THE G20 FINANCE MINISTERS MEETING (ST ANDREWS, 7 NOVEMBER ITUC/TUAC EVALUATION OF THE G20 FINANCE MINISTERS MEETING (ST ANDREWS, 7 NOVEMBER 2009) Introduction and Summary: Action for Employment Welcome, but Many Questions Remain 1. The G20 Finance Ministers meeting

More information

Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption

Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption United Nations CAC/COSP/WG.2/2015/2 Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption Distr.: General 9 July 2015 Original: English Working Group on Asset Recovery Vienna,

More information

Summary of Corporate Governance Codes 6. North America Canada 16 United States 18. Argentina 24 Brazil 28 Colombia 32 Mexico 34

Summary of Corporate Governance Codes 6. North America Canada 16 United States 18. Argentina 24 Brazil 28 Colombia 32 Mexico 34 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 2 Summary of Corporate Governance Codes 6 North America Canada 16 United States 18 Latin America Argentina 24 Brazil 28 Colombia 32 Mexico 34 AfricA Morocco 40 South Africa 44

More information

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES INTERIM REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES INTERIM REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL EN EN EN COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, 12.2.2009 COM(2009) 69 final INTERIM REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL On Progress in Bulgaria under the Co-operation

More information

Policy pointers. Scoring fast-start climate finance: leaders and laggards in transparency. Transparency matters. A transparency scorecard

Policy pointers. Scoring fast-start climate finance: leaders and laggards in transparency. Transparency matters. A transparency scorecard september 2011 Scoring fast-start climate finance: leaders and laggards in transparency Policy pointers n Transparent reporting on climate finance is essential for governments to plan mitigation and adaptation

More information

G20 ANTI-CORRUPTION WORKING GROUP. Report on technical assistance provision by G20 ACWG countries

G20 ANTI-CORRUPTION WORKING GROUP. Report on technical assistance provision by G20 ACWG countries G20 ANTI-CORRUPTION WORKING GROUP Report on technical assistance provision by G20 ACWG countries August 2017 Acknowledgements The present Report is an initiative led by the Brazilian delegation to the

More information

Bribery and Corruption

Bribery and Corruption Bribery and Corruption The FCPA, UK Bribery Act, and Other Anti-Corruption Measures 2018 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Inc. Introduction The FCPA and the UK Bribery Act are the two premier

More information

Tax risk management strategy

Tax risk management strategy Vodafone Group Plc has a tax strategy focused on the following 6 key areas: Integrity in compliance and reporting Enhancing shareholder value Business partnering Influencing tax policy Developing our people

More information

FTSE Global Equity Index Series

FTSE Global Equity Index Series Methodology overview FTSE Global Equity Index Series Built for the demands of global investors Indexes for a global market The FTSE Global Equity Index Series (FTSE GEIS) includes objective, rules-based

More information

Horizon scanner Financial Crime and Cyber-security RISK RATING. Potential impact

Horizon scanner Financial Crime and Cyber-security RISK RATING. Potential impact Horizon scanner Financial Crime and Cyber-security RISK RATING Potential impact The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) UK mutual evaluation 2018 FATF conducts reviews of each member on an on-going basis

More information

FATCA: Developments & perspectives

FATCA: Developments & perspectives FATCA: Developments & perspectives Automatic Exchange of Information 22 May 2014 FATCA evolves into CRS a multilateral automatic exchange of information 2010 The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)

More information

Official Journal of the European Union DECISIONS

Official Journal of the European Union DECISIONS L 17/40 23.1.2018 DECISIONS COUNCIL DECISION (CFSP) 2018/101 of 22 January 2018 on the promotion of effective arms export controls THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on European

More information

31 March, OECD, 2 rue André-Pascal, Paris

31 March, OECD, 2 rue André-Pascal, Paris ACN Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Anti-Corruption Division Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2,

More information

Safeguarding EU funds against fraud & corruption. Jana Mittermaier, Director TI EU Office, Brussels

Safeguarding EU funds against fraud & corruption. Jana Mittermaier, Director TI EU Office, Brussels Safeguarding EU funds against fraud & corruption Jana Mittermaier, Director TI EU Office, Brussels Positive developments + EU anti-corruption report (focus public procurement) + Proposal on fight against

More information