From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
The Executive Director, of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice(ANEEJ), and UNCAC Coalition Co-Chair, Rev. David Ugolor has
said that civil society plays pivotal role in driving anti-corruption reforms and sustaining political will for effective UNCAC implementation in Nigeria.
He also highlighted the critical need to embed anti-corruption, transparency, and accountability principles within the Financing for Development (FfD)
This was stated in a statement made available to the media in Kaduna, yesterday
ANEEJ boss spoke when he joined international experts for a hybrid side event in preparation for the upcoming 4th FfD Conference, titled: “Transparency, Anti-Corruption, and Asset Recovery to Mobilize and Safeguard Financing for Development”, United Nations Headquarters in New York, at the Secretariat Building, USA,
While noting the challenges in inter-agency coordination, he emphasized the need for technical and political support from international bodies like UNODC and the diplomatic community.
Ugolor also pointed to recent transparency efforts in asset recovery agreements with the UK and US, encouraging civil society to leverage these for campaigns on governance and accountability.
The event was organized by the UNCAC Coalition, the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR – UNODC / World Bank), the Open Contracting Partnership, Open Ownership, and the FACT Coalition StAR.
In his remarks, the Head of Advocacy at the Open Contracting Partnership, Kristen Robinson, advocated for reforms in open contracting and public finance management to promote transparency.
Similarly, Executive Director of FACT Coalition Ian Gary emphasized the need for uniform regulations across countries to address illicit financial flows effectively. Elsa of the UNODC – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime/StAR initiative emphasized the importance of asset recovery in mobilizing domestic resources and advancing justice, accountability, and sustainable development.
It added that panelists also discussed the ongoing challenges in implementing these reforms and the vital role of political commitment and international collaboration in advancing asset recovery and anti-corruption initial
