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Second Arab Forum on Asset Recovery, Marrakesh, 26 – 28 October
Event brings together key partners supporting the recovery of stolen assets for the Arab Countries in Transition.
The second Arab Forum on Asset Recovery (AFAR II) took place 26 - 28 October in Marrakech, Morocco. The event was co-hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom, in association with the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative of the World Bank (STAR) and the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime. The aim of AFAR II is to bring together the G8, regional partners and key financial centres to forge greater collaboration towards the recovery of stolen assets in transition countries.
In a show of the importance placed by the United Kingdom on ensuring that stolen assets are returned to the people of the transition countries, the UK’s Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, will lead the UK delegation. Dominic Grieve said:
The UK is committed to supporting Arab countries in transition seek, trace and recover the assets stolen by former regimes. Recovering these assets is very complex and requires an international response, which is why the UK is using its G8 presidency to highlight the continued focus on this issue.
The Arab Forum on Asset Recovery brings together key countries, practitioners and experts from over 40 countries to drive forward better collaboration and understanding of the challenges and solutions. It shows the willingness and clear commitment that is needed to return these stolen assets to the people of the transition countries.
This year, the UK holds the chairmanship of the G8 Deauville Partnership, and is committed to support Arab Countries in Transition seeking to trace and recover significant sums of money stolen by former regimes. In June 2013, The G8 Leaders’ Communiqué from Lough Erne reiterated the G8’s high level commitment to return stolen assets to the Arab Countries in Transition, including through participation in the Arab Forum on Asset Recovery (AFAR).
Prime Minister, David Cameron, in a message of support to the second Arab Forum on Asset Recovery says that no country should have to pay the price for the corruption of its former governments.
The Arab Forum on Asset Recovery was established last year (2012) under the US’s G8 Presidency and the first meeting took place in Qatar in September 2012.
