The Guidelines for Efficient Asset Recovery and its accompanying step-by-step guide are now available at https://guidelines.assetrecovery.org. 

The launch of this online tool took place in the context of a side event at the 2017 Conference of State Parties to UNCAC in Vienna on 7 November. It concludes a multi-year initiative led by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs with support from the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) and the StAR Initiative. 

The Guidelines and the step-by-step guide were developed over a period of four years through extensive consultation with practitioners from a wide range of jurisdictions in the context of the “Lausanne seminars” and bring together lessons learned and useful tips and recommendations for newcomers as well as seasoned asset recovery practitioners to tackle practical hurdles that they may encounter in international asset recovery cases.

Their active use is widely supported, including in the resolution on mutual legal assistance and asset recovery submitted by Nigeria on behalf of the African Group at this year’s COSP, which “(…) encourages State Parties to make use of the non-binding Lausanne guidelines for the efficient recovery of assets and its supporting step-by-step guide, available online, when implementing the Convention’s obligations on international cooperation for asset recovery”.

We encourage the Guideline’s active use by practitioners, their wide dissemination and their use in training sessions, brainstorming workshops and other efforts to promote knowledge and practical expertise in asset recovery.