This is the draft Political Declaration of the 2021 Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly Against Corruption, titled Our common commitment to effectively addressing challenges and implementing measures to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation.

Of note is item 13 under Preventive measures, which endorses Collective Action with the public and private sectors in the fight against corruption:

The UN General Assembly Special Session against Corruption (UNGASS) calls for countries to adopt a wide range of measures to recover assets stolen through corruption.

This includes non-conviction based forfeiture (NCBF), which is emerging as a powerful tool to recover illicit assets when a criminal conviction is not possible.

What can we learn from actual cases of NCBF around the world? What should States consider when introducing NCBF legislation? How can it be applied more effectively and what challenges stand in the way?

On Wednesday, 2 June, we are honoured to be co-hosting a virtual side event at the 2021 Special Session of the General Assembly against Corruption (UNGASS) in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Register here for the 60-minute session at 19:00 CET/13:00 EST: Collective Action: Building Efficient Public-Private Partnerships.

One of our two submissions to the UN General Assembly Special Session against Corruption 2021 concerns private-sector engagement in the fight against corruption through anti-corruption Collective Action.

Our recommendation

UN Member States should put measures in place to promote the inclusion of anti-corruption Collective Action by the private sector as part of a risk-based approach to prevent corruption (in line with Article 5, UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)).