This week, we are holding our second Global Civil Society Forum on Asset Recovery. Having kicked off the series in Kenya in 2022, this second edition is taking place in Brazil and aims to bring together civil society organisations from across the globe to discuss the most pressing issues, challenges and opportunities in asset recovery and to identify opportunities for collective action.
During the Forum, we aim to develop of new policy positions, share experience and foster collaboration. Focussing this time more closely on development and experiences from Latin America, we will bring these together with those of partners from around the world to bridge coalitions and, ultimately, improve joint work that increases anti-corruption prevention.
As Jackson Oldfield, CiFAR Policy and Research Director, highlights:
At a time of growing challenges within the international community and with civic space shrinking in many countries, the need for united and coordinated civil society to tackle corruption, particularly high-level corruption by public officials, is greater than ever before. Asset recovery is an essential part of this: not only does corruption need to be addressed and punished, but monies stolen from public funds need to be confiscated and returned to those who have suffered as a result of that corruption.
Civil society plays a key part at all stages of asset recovery, from identifying corruption, to evidence gathering, monitoring cases, representing victims in deciding how recovered assets are used and overseeing expenditures.
All of the organisations attending are leaders in asset recovery at the national, regional and global levels. We look forward to building on the work we did in 2022 and to identifying strategies and positions to further build transparent, accountable and participatory asset recovery in the coming years and beyond.