1. Governance and Research
2. Asset Recovery

• The Institute must continue to actively seek additional seed funding for its governance activities, in order to be able to further strengthen its research activities as well as programmes under the heading of “industry standards”.
• In the area of anti-money laundering and CFT, the Institute will cooperate with the Financial Integrity Network Switzerland for the organisation of the second international seminar on Combating the Financing of Terrorism, to be held in Davos in October 2008. Furthermore, the Institute is likely to be awarded a number of consulting mandates on anti-money laundering in the first half of 2008. It will consequently consider expanding its capacity in this particular field including, if possible, by establishing a small specialist team within the Basel Institute.
• In 2008, at least two major conferences are being planned, namely on 29 February 2008, in cooperation with SWISSCHAM-AFRICA, UNIDA and the University of Basel, the conference “OHADA – lutte contre la corruption”, held at the law faculty of the University of Basel; and on 10-11 April 2008, the third conference in the Institute’s series of health/pharma sector conferences. The 2008 conference in this series will deal with the issue of “Philanthropy in Health – Governance and Effectiveness Criteria”, and receives the support from the Swiss Tropical Institute, Bank Sarasin & Cie. AG and UBS AG.
• Furthermore, the Institute considers organising a number of smaller or at least one larger conference on a topic in the field of corporate anti-bribery compliance, towards the end of 2008. Finally, the Institute will in 2008 again cooperate with the European Academy of Law in the organisation of a European conference on the fight against corruption and international cooperation.
• In the area of research, the 3-year research project on Health Sector Governance, developed jointly with the Swiss Tropical Institute, will be submitted to the SNF for funding; furthermore, a number of smaller research projects are expected to receive funding in 2008, e.g. in the area of corruption & human rights, corruption & trade, and multistakeholder initiatives in peace processes.
• The Institute will further continue to increase its capacity in terms of consulting mandates in corporate and public governance. The minimal goal for 2008 in this respect is to execute at least as many mandates as in 2007, and ideally to increase the volume by a minimum of 25 percent.
• Furthermore, in the area of corporate governance, the Institute will continue to participate actively in existing anti-corruption and anti-money laundering multi-stakeholder initiatives, in particular the Wolfsberg Group and the World Economic Forum Partnering against Corruption Initiative. In addition, at least two or three additional industry-specific and country-specific anti-corruption and business transparency initiatives are likely to be launched in the course of 2008.
• For 2008, the Institute shall publish at least one book and 3-4 working papers.

In 2008, the ICAR will continue to build upon its activities and projects launched in 2007, in particular focusing on follow-up training activities, acquiring and implementing new asset recovery training mandates as well as case assistance work.

Trainings, Case assistance & other related projects:

• Development and implementation of asset recovery training programs (3-5 training programs). These will include follow-up training elements to the trainings already provided in 2007 (Indonesia, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Brazil) as well as new training programs, possibly for countries like Madagascar, Nigeria, Nepal and the Kyrgyz Republic who have approached the ICAR in 2007 with expressions of interest in asset recovery capacity building assistance. The ICAR will follow up with these two specific countries in early 2008 as well as other countries as appropriate.
• Follow up and continue the ICAR’s existing case assistance projects, and reach out to other potential countries as adequate.
• Continue to work with the Kenyan Anti-Corruption Commission to develop an asset recovery capacity building project (in coordination with the Institute’s Gap Analysis project for Kenya).
• In cooperation with Transparency International (UK), continue compiling a report on the UK’s performance on prosecuting overseas corruption and asset recovery
• With relevant stakeholders and interested partners (Transparency International), devise and launch a new project which shall aim to analyze the roles and responsibilities of civil society in asset recovery and to promote these functions of civil society through appropriate channels and forums (possibly through regional seminars or as add-on components to ICAR’s general asset recovery training programmes)

Conferences and meetings:

• Host at least one donors’ coordination meeting in 2008, to follow up on previous such donors meetings held in March and May 2007.
• Cooperate with the Government of Switzerland in the organisation of the Lausanne IV expert meeting on asset recovery

Knowledge centre, IT:

• Continue the development, testing and full application of the Online Knowledge Center for Asset Recovery. In particular, continue the research, collection and uploading of relevant information including country profiles, contact information, case summaries and analysis.
• Devise “case management tools and systems for asset recovery” for countries requesting such assistance (Tanzania, Indonesia).

Partnership, networking, PR:

• Continue networking with key stakeholders within the national and international anti-corruption community and establishing partnership arrangements for the effective, consistent and transparent implementation of asset recovery initiatives (World Bank, Interpol, development banks, foundations, accounting firms)
• Actively seek and participate in asset recovery and related forums, conferences, workshops and other events to continue raising the ICAR’s profile as well as expanding the ICAR’s network of experts, partners and information sources.
• Participate in the sessions of the three Working Groups of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and prepare for the Second Conference of States Parties to be held in January 2008 in Indonesia.
• Coordinate donor meetings either in Basel or elsewhere, to ensure that the resource mobilisation momentum for asset recovery generated at the meetings in 2007 is maintained.
• Plan the next asset recovery expert seminar (Lausanne IV) in cooperation with the Swiss Government.

Fundraising:

ICAR will continue to vigorously conduct fundraising activities in order to seek additional core funding as well as project-specific funding to implement its foreseen operations through 2010. The Centre will approach governments, foundations, large private enterprises, as well as development agencies and banks (including their local or regional offices). The ICAR will also continue organising donor meetings for asset recovery to ensure that current and potential donors are aware of the funding challenges and to establish mechanisms and strategies for effective resource mobilisation for asset recovery.