Earlier in May, Our team leader, Frédéric Bayard attended the (EAAACA) East African Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities Executive Committee’s meeting and its 15th Annual General Assembly as well as its ARINEA (Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network for Eastern Africa) Executive Committee’s yearly conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Our project, funded by the European Commission and implemented by CIVIPOL, was one of the key partners invited to the meeting.
As a project, we have worked and collaborated with EAAACA on numerous occasions, especially through its ARIN-EA network, which was established to promote cooperation at the regional and international level to effectively track, trace, and recover stolen assets within and beyond the boundaries of Eastern Africa. ARIN-EA has participated in events we organized for asset recovery agencies and practitioners.
This theme of the meeting – “Coordination, Collaboration, and Cooperation in Asset Recovery and the Fight against Corruption” – which together with the fight against Illicit Financial Flows generated by Transnational Organised Crime – is at the very center of our activities.
The meeting attracted over 150 participants including heads of Anti-Corruption Institutions in Eastern Africa, Focal Persons of the Asset Recovery Inter-agency Networks from Eastern Africa, North Africa, West Africa and South Africa, and development Partners, including the European Union.
This meeting presented a great opportunity for the European Commission, through our project, to dialogue with partners, who are key cornerstones in the fight against corruption, money laundering, and illicit financial flows generated by transnational organized crime in the region and the entire continent.
Frédéric Bayard made a presentation during the meetings to outline the support provided by the European Union in the region.
It was also a unique opportunity to meet and share with all the national agencies’ officials and institutions represented, including the UNCAC Coalition representative, the Regional Serious and Organized Crime /British High Commission Tanzania representative, GIZ representative among others. Frédéric shared the EU’s vision and commitment to launch, in the coming months, a continent-wide project to help Africa fight against illicit financial flows and strengthen the continent’s AML/CFT frameworks.
