[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":272},["ShallowReactive",2],{"news-gretta-fenner-19752024-message-from-the-president-2614":3,"news-gretta-fenner-19752024-message-from-the-president-2614-similar":41,"i-heroicons:arrow-left-20-solid":267},[4],{"id":5,"status":6,"date_created":7,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"date":12,"topic":13,"slug":15,"activity":16,"nid":17,"topics":18,"activities":19,"programme":20,"area":20,"websites":21,"language":20,"image":23,"translation_of":20,"countries":35,"tags":36,"authors":37,"images":38,"translations":39,"content":40},10438,"published","2024-04-08T10:01:31.000Z","2025-08-31T23:14:40.000Z","Gretta Fenner (1975–2024): Message from the President","News","It is with great sadness that we confirm the tragic death of our Managing Director Gretta Fenner in a car accident.\n\nGretta has been an extraordinary force for change in the fight against corruption – both personally and through the Institute that she lovingly and passionately built and led for so many years. We, and our partners and counterparts around the world, will miss her greatly.\n\nHer family and friends are in our thoughts as we come to terms with this news. We will keep all informed about plans to honour her memory and celebrate her as she deserves.\n\n_Peter Maurer, on behalf of the Board and Management Group of the Basel Institute on Governance_\n\n### Update\n\nIt has been heartwarming to receive so many messages of condolence and tributes to Gretta Fenner following her tragic passing. Their depth and breadth are testimony to the extraordinary woman that Gretta was and the passion that she inspired around the world.\n\nSome of them you can now see on a public tribute page to Gretta, together with the story of her career and photos of her at work and play: [gretta.baselgovernance.org](https:\u002F\u002Fgretta.baselgovernance.org\u002F).","2024-04-08",[14],"","gretta-fenner-19752024-message-from-the-president-2614",[14],2614,[],[],null,[22],"Main page",{"id":24,"storage":25,"filename_disk":26,"filename_download":27,"title":9,"type":28,"created_on":29,"modified_on":30,"charset":20,"filesize":31,"width":32,"height":33,"duration":20,"embed":20,"description":20,"location":20,"tags":20,"metadata":34,"focal_point_x":20,"focal_point_y":20,"tus_id":20,"tus_data":20,"uploaded_on":30},"e83f7509-716f-41ce-880a-945c8aaf3709","local","e83f7509-716f-41ce-880a-945c8aaf3709.webp","Gretta Fenner_profile_horizontal.webp","image\u002Fwebp","2025-05-12T21:10:57.000Z","2026-05-06T07:35:19.000Z",40868,1600,1068,{},[],[],[],[],[],[],[42,75,104,129,152,177,199,221,244],{"id":43,"body":44,"status":6,"type":45,"date":46,"slug":47,"title":48,"image":49,"countries":50,"topic":52,"activity":55,"tags":58,"nid":59,"topics":60,"activities":62,"authors":63,"images":66,"websites":67,"area":20,"programme":20,"language":20,"translations":68,"translation_of":20,"user_created":69,"date_created":70,"user_updated":71,"date_updated":72,"content":73,"link":74},10441,"Paris is known as the city of love. But once a year, during the [OECD Global Anti-Corruption Forum (GACIF)](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.oecd-events.org\u002Fgacif2024), it also becomes the beating heart of integrity – at least for the anti-corruption community.\n\nUnder the theme “Designing our future with integrity”, this year’s Forum brought together anti-corruption experts from business, government and civil society from around the world to explore trends in the fight for integrity and against corruption.\n\nAmid the global upheavals of the past year, how did this year’s Forum differ from previous editions? And how is the private sector adapting to these evolutions? A few takeaways from our Private Sector team are below.\n\n### 1 – Celebrating the OECD Convention’s relevance for business\n\n2024 marked the 25th anniversary of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, which recognises Collective Action as a best practice through its complementary [2021 Recommendation](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.oecd.org\u002Fdaf\u002Fanti-bribery\u002F2021-oecd-anti-bribery-recommendation.htm).\n\nIn the presence of the French and Ukrainian Ministers of Justice, the Convention’s anniversary provided impetus to reflect on its many notable successes, as well as the challenges ahead. [Discussions](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.oecd-events.org\u002Fgacif2024\u002Fonlinesession\u002Ff5b9e920-3f94-ee11-8923-6045bd9869bb) recalled the unprecedented importance and relevance of the Convention in ensuring equitable and sustainable global trade.\n\n### 2 – Major evolutions in integrity and compliance\n\nThis GACIF also saw the [launch of the OECD Anti-Corruption and Integrity Outlook](https:\u002F\u002Foecd-events.org\u002Fgacif2024\u002Fsession\u002F0035cced-3d94-ee11-8923-6045bd9869bb), which assesses the effectiveness of Member States’ integrity efforts, and highlights key developments and trends in anti-corruption. These include the emerging risks in the energy transition, the increasing use of technology in corruption schemes and the growing threats of foreign interference.\n\nSpeakers discussed the evolving functions of compliance officers and the need to strengthen their role. A key message was the need for compliance roles to evolve from operational to strategic positions within companies.\n\n### 3 – Participation in shaping business integrity\n\nMultiple global crises are impacting the way business is done internationally, reinforcing the role companies play in global anti-corruption efforts. As a result, this year’s GACIF saw a strong private-sector presence, both in terms of attendance and topics discussed.\n\nWe already saw this trend at the last major anti-corruption event in December 2023 – the 10th session of the Conference of the States Parties (CoSP) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) – where the private sector showed a strong appetite to participate in [shaping the global business integrity agenda](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fnews\u002Fsticks-and-carrots-new-un-resolution-calls-on-governments-to-provide-incentives-for-companies-to-implement-anti-corruption-measures-2594\u002F).\n\n### 4 – Collective Action is crucial for integrity and fair competition\n\nThe increased business presence at this year’s GACIF meant that Collective Action was at the centre of many discussions. It was consistently presented as a crucial tool to raise standards of business integrity and level the playing field. [The Basel Institute’s session](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.oecd-events.org\u002Fgacif2024\u002Fsession\u002Fce6d8090-f0d6-ee11-85fa-000d3a2d90a9\u002Faddressing-governance-and-corruption-risks-in-infrastructure-development-through-collective-action-presented-by-basel-governance-) (as a GACIF Knowledge Partner) on enhancing transparency in the critical infrastructure sector highlighted that:\n\n● Collective Action allows for tailored solutions for each industry. This is demonstrated by the World Economic Forum's [Partnering Against Corruption Initiative](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.weforum.org\u002Fcommunities\u002Fpartnering-against-corruption-initiative\u002F) (PACI), whose approach acknowledges that corruption-related challenges differ across industries.\n\n● [Integrity Pacts](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fexplore\u002Fintegrity-pacts) can provide strong incentives for business integrity and create a learning platform for smaller actors in the infrastructure sector to improve their compliance capacity.\n\n● Initiatives such as [CoST – the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative](https:\u002F\u002Finfrastructuretransparency.org\u002Fabout-us\u002F) are driving long-term policy reform and providing evidence for better decision making, leading to higher-quality infrastructure.\n\n### 5 – Leaders call for harmonised standards\n\nPublic-private cooperation was a focus of the OECD’s [Anti-Corruption Leaders Hub](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.oecd.org\u002Fcorruption-integrity\u002Fgetinvolved\u002Fprivate-sector\u002Fanti-corruptionleadershub\u002F) annual meeting at the forum. This multi-stakeholder community of chief compliance officers and integrity leaders from government and civil society facilitates dialogue on pressing challenges and opportunities.\n\nIn one of her last public events before her tragic [passing](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Fgretta-fenner-1975-2024-message-president) on 6 April 2024, Gretta Fenner, the Basel Institute’s Managing Director, moderated a roundtable discussion on bridging the implementation gap between international anti-corruption standards and national policies.\n\nPrivate-sector participants shared how they are responding to the practical challenges of operating globally under misaligned standards, and called on governments to harmonise expectations of businesses.\n\n### 6 – Opportunities for peer learning and dialogue\n\nIn a session on innovative peer learning programmes, Vanessa Hans, Head of the Basel Institute’s Private Sector team, highlighted the importance of creating safe spaces for open communication and constructive criticism when dealing with sensitive topics such as corruption.\n\nThere are many opportunities for anti-corruption and compliance professionals to exchange with each other in a neutral, mutually supportive way. These include dedicated Collective Action initiatives that focus on peer learning and jointly raising standards, such as the [Wolfsberg Group](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fexplore\u002Finitiatives\u002F1385), [Metals Technology Initiative](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fexplore\u002Finitiatives\u002F1484) or many of the other initiatives included in our [global database](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fexplore\u002Finitiatives). \n\nAn interesting current programme for compliance officers initiated by the OECD and Basel Institute on Governance is [Compliance without Borders](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.oecd.org\u002Fcorruption-integrity\u002Fgetinvolved\u002Fprivate-sector\u002Fcompliance-without-borders\u002F). The programme matches compliance professionals from private companies and state-owned enterprises to exchange experiences, build expertise and discover new anti-corruption systems, techniques and solutions.\n\n### What’s next? Business integrity is touring Europe\n\nAfter Paris, lovers of business integrity are heading east, to Vilnius, Lithuania, before ending their tour in Basel, Switzerland.\n\nTransparency International’s flagship International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) will come to Vilnius from 18 to 21 June 2024 with a dedicated track on “[Building a Global Ethical Economy: Advancing Business Integrity and Its Leaders](https:\u002F\u002Fiaccseries.org\u002Fiacc-2024\u002Flithuania-theme\u002Fbuilding-a-global-ethical-economy-advancing-business-integrity-and-its-leaders\u002F)”.\n\nA week later, the Basel Institute will convene the global Collective Action community for its [5th International Collective Action Conference](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fget-involved\u002Fevents\u002Ficac-2024). The in-person event will showcase Collective Action as a holistic approach to fighting and preventing corruption, and highlight the Basel Institute’s role in building a global community of practice for Collective Action. The draft agenda is available [here](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fget-involved\u002Fevents\u002Ficac-2024\u002Fagenda). Our annual Anti-Corruption Collective Action Awards will also be presented at the conference – keep an eye out for the public vote [here](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fget-involved\u002Fawards).","Blog","2024-05-13","paris-vilnius-basel-business-integrity-goes-on-tour-2625","Paris, Vilnius, Basel: Business integrity goes on tour","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F4d11a6c6-86fc-4c80-b9bd-66616db5beea?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[51],7127,[53,54],"Collective Action","Private Sector",[56,57],"Events","Insights",[],2625,[53,54,61],"Business Integrity Ethics and Compliance",[56,57],[64,65],1114,1115,[],[22,53],[],"03bebfd8-0b40-4a2a-820d-b9d9c13b9de6","2024-05-13T16:01:28.000Z","3d9ff205-1640-4f34-b5b6-86977f51bbd6","2026-05-29T22:22:29.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fparis-vilnius-basel-business-integrity-goes-on-tour-2625",{"id":76,"body":77,"status":6,"type":45,"date":78,"slug":79,"title":80,"image":81,"countries":82,"topic":83,"activity":87,"tags":89,"nid":90,"topics":91,"activities":94,"authors":95,"images":97,"websites":98,"area":20,"programme":20,"language":20,"translations":99,"translation_of":20,"user_created":69,"date_created":100,"user_updated":71,"date_updated":101,"content":102,"link":103},9596,"_The following statement by the Basel Institute's Managing Director, Gretta Fenner, was aired at the Special Session of the UN General Assembly against Corruption on 4 June 2021. [Watch the video here](https:\u002F\u002Fyoutu.be\u002F3aF-4HgycYg)._\n\nExcellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,\n\nI thank you for the opportunity to deliver a short statement on behalf of the Basel Institute on Governance.\n\nWe welcome the political declaration as a text that provides useful guidance. In particular, we welcome those parts of the text that go beyond previously agreed language, many of which reflect the recommendations that our organisation has made in the context of the consultation process.\n\nAmong those, we in particular welcome that paragraph 11 calls upon member states to go beyond the minimum in relation to criminalisation, with a special reference to illicit enrichment, and the paragraphs that encourage states to adopt regimes for both conviction and non-conviction based confiscation.\n\nWe are encouraged that the political declaration recognises that states do not yet live up to their commitment to afford each other the widest measure of cooperation when it comes to investigating corruption and recovering stolen assets. In many countries international cooperation remains burdened by unnecessary bureaucracy and sometimes procedural law that would appear to be biased in favour of the defence. \n\nWe are also encouraged that member states in paragraph 6 have endorsed the notion of Collective Action as an important emerging norm in corruption prevention.\n\nFinally, we are gratified that the declaration refers strongly to the importance of independent law enforcement and the critical role played by non-state actors.\n\nThe gist of this document gives thus reason for hope. But the reality is that on most days, the fight against corruption still feels like a very steep uphill battle. The levels of corruption remain incredibly high, and not a single country is spared.\n\nOf course in parts this is the consequence of positive developments. The media and civil society as well as bolder law enforcement action have helped us to see corruption better, and to understand its consequences better. More people are upset about it.\n\nAnd we should celebrate these successes, and in particular the many courageous individuals, in law enforcement, in the media and ordinary people who resist, who stand up and protest; many of them at great personal sacrifice.\n\nBut corruption is a very resilient and adaptive disease. We are no longer (only) dealing with the kind of corruption that involves stealing from state coffers or paying someone off. This means purely legal and technical solutions are just not enough. We must understand the political economy of corruption, and we must invest in education so that still more people are able to see through the corruption fog.\n\nSecond, corruption has become even more globalised. It is a spiderweb connecting politicians and businesses regardless of political colour or nationality, aided by nifty middlemen and the still many blind spots on the world map.\n\nThis stands in stark contrast with the increasing break-down of global solidarity and governance, marked by misguided references to national sovereignty and masked by the excuse of bureaucracy. It makes it virtually impossible for law enforcement to stand a chance. The criminals are laughing; we make it so easy for them.\n\nSo we must ask more of you, and you must ask more of each other.\n\nFirst, we ask that you truly endorse the strong language encouraging countries to go beyond the mere minimum. Don’t be held back because others may not go as far as you want to. Show true leadership, not comparative leadership.\n\nSecond, please, for once, be ready to be fully accountable. For the fight against corruption to succeed we need a lot, but what we don’t need is another political statement that is not followed through. So I call upon you all to allow for full and public scrutiny of what you will do to implement the commitments made today. \n\nThose who risk their lives to fight corruption, those who lose their lives because of corruption, every day, in every corner of the world, they deserve that.\n\nI thank you.","2021-06-04","gretta-fenner039s-address-at-the-ungass-2021-plenary-session-2026","Gretta Fenner's address at the UNGASS 2021 plenary session","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F330de557-dbbe-4df8-a655-5d577e5c3ea9?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[84,53,54,85,86],"Asset Recovery","Prevention"," Research and Innovation",[56,88],"Presentations",[],2026,[92,53,54,93],"Asset Recovery and Enforcement","Prevention Research and Innovation",[56,88],[96],1194,[],[22,53],[],"2022-05-26T22:53:02.000Z","2026-05-29T22:21:45.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fgretta-fenner039s-address-at-the-ungass-2021-plenary-session-2026",{"id":105,"body":106,"status":6,"type":45,"date":107,"slug":108,"title":109,"image":110,"countries":111,"topic":112,"activity":114,"tags":116,"nid":117,"topics":118,"activities":119,"authors":120,"images":122,"websites":123,"area":20,"programme":20,"language":20,"translations":124,"translation_of":20,"user_created":69,"date_created":125,"user_updated":71,"date_updated":126,"content":127,"link":128},9790,"Every day, an unknown number of elephant tusks, rhino horn, pangolin scales and other wildlife products – alive and dead – cross the oceans in container ships and cargo flights for use in traditional medicine, crafts and the illegal pet trade. Rare trees are felled in ancient forests and shipped out under false certificates. They leave behind the butchered carcasses of the last remaining animals of many species, scarred and emptied landscapes, legal livelihoods undermined by corruption and criminal activity, and communities ravaged by organised crime networks. The Basel Institute is contributing to tackling [illegal wildlife trade](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fillegal-wildlife-trade) and its negative impacts on communities, economies and biodiversity from the angle of financial crime. This quick guide gives an insight into our approach and how our various areas of expertise fit together to help solve this complex puzzle.\n\n### What is the size and scope of wildlife crime?\n\nA [2019 World Bank report](http:\u002F\u002Fpubdocs.worldbank.org\u002Fen\u002F482771571323560234\u002FWBGReport1017Digital.pdf) on illegal logging, fishing and wildlife trade estimates the illicit industry at $1 trillion per year. Illegal wildlife trade alone is estimated to be the fourth or fifth largest illicit trade in terms of global volume. Profits go into the pockets of criminals or are used to fuel political insurrection. With a high level of convergence with other serious crimes like drug and human trafficking it contributes to raising levels of criminality and affects the integrity of the international financial system and global trade. The losses are borne by the planet and its people.\n\n### What is being done to stop the criminals?\n\nA lot, but not enough. Current efforts to combat wildlife trafficking focus primarily on protecting the animals, catching poachers, and reducing demand. Highly valuable as these efforts are, they do not get to those who control the international networks and profit from the trade. Poachers are swiftly replaced by other poachers. It is virtually impossible to protect every animal individually, and certainly not cost-effective. They also do little to help countries, communities, and companies build systemic resilience against IWT.\n\n### What is the Basel Institute’s approach?\n\nPut simply: follow the money. Illegal wildlife trade cannot occur at the global scale without financial crime and corruption. Traffickers resort to financial crime at every stage of their illegal supply chain, from bribing officials to laundering the money through international financial systems. Using financial investigation techniques, international cooperation, and intelligence from the public and private sectors, we can follow the money trail to catch the high-level criminals at the centre of the trafficking networks. We can take the profit out of the picture by confiscating the proceeds and instrumentalities of the crime – going after the money, not just the criminals. And we can use tested anti-corruption techniques to address weaknesses in the public and private sectors that are created by bribery and fraud. Tackling wildlife trafficking from the angle of financial crime is widely recognised by the international community as a crucial gap that needs to be filled. But filling it is, in practice, not so simple. The Basel Institute, with its 17-year track record in working around the world with public and private actors to prevent and combat corruption, is uniquely placed to do so.\n\n### What does it involve in practice?\n\nFirst, working with the private sector is crucial. Virtually all illegal wildlife products worldwide are trafficked via commercial ships, planes and trucks. The illicit payments and proceeds flow through commercial banks and other financial institutions. We are helping to unlock private-sector intelligence and action through the [United for Wildlife](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unitedforwildlife.org\u002F) Transport and Financial Taskforces. The Taskforces, led by the Duke of Cambridge and Lord William Hague, bring together the world’s most powerful transport companies and financial institutions with law enforcement and field experts. Basel Institute staff have been instrumental in making this one of the most effective and groundbreaking initiatives of its kind. Today, our Intelligence Team operates the Information Sharing System at the heart of the initiative, and our Collective Action experts facilitate focus groups to multiply the members’ efforts.   We are also working to strengthen the [business case for companies](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fscarlet-wannenwetschs-quick-guide-role-business-tackling-illegal-wildlife-trade) in the financial, transport and other sectors to harden their defences against wildlife trafficking risks, and leverage the private sector’s huge amount of underused data. Second, almost all law enforcement agencies tasked with investigating and prosecuting wildlife crimes badly need upskilling in financial investigation, analysis and asset tracing techniques. There are also vital gaps in regional and international cooperation to gather evidence, broaden investigations to wider criminal networks and apply financial crime charges to high-level wildlife traffickers. Our dedicated IWT investigation experts are mentoring specialist law enforcement officers across Africa to help fill these gaps. As part of their mission, they facilitate cooperation on intelligence and live cases between trusted law enforcement partners, regionally and internationally. Third, we need to better understand the real drivers and facilitators of wildlife trafficking in local communities, and how the trafficking networks operate and interact with formal and informal economies. Our research team is conducting bottom-up field research on [social norms around wildlife trafficking](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fsaba-kassas-quick-guide-drivers-and-facilitators-wildlife-trafficking) in East Africa. In parallel, intelligence and social network analysts are conducting pioneering research to theorise and map how IWT criminal networks operate and interact with other transnational trafficking and crime organisations. Law enforcement, policymakers and researchers will benefit from these insights. [Download a PDF of this quick guide in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fquick-guide-13-financial-crime-illegal-wildlife-trade).","2019-11-26","gretta-fenner039s-quick-guide-to-financial-crime-in-illegal-wildlife-trade-1028","Gretta Fenner's quick guide to financial crime in illegal wildlife trade","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F43ebe090-52e2-433e-9388-d9a27e0ab335?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[113],"Green Corruption",[57,115],"Anti-corruption interventions",[],1028,[113],[57,115],[121],873,[],[22],[],"2022-05-26T22:55:43.000Z","2026-04-15T22:28:45.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fgretta-fenner039s-quick-guide-to-financial-crime-in-illegal-wildlife-trade-1028",{"id":130,"body":131,"status":6,"type":10,"date":132,"slug":133,"title":134,"image":135,"countries":136,"topic":138,"activity":139,"tags":140,"nid":141,"topics":142,"activities":143,"authors":144,"images":145,"websites":146,"area":20,"programme":20,"language":20,"translations":147,"translation_of":20,"user_created":69,"date_created":148,"user_updated":71,"date_updated":149,"content":150,"link":151},10095,"Our Managing Director, Ms Gretta Fenner, recently spoke to _The Ukrainian Week_ about ICAR’s cooperation with, and technical assistance to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine in investigating financial crimes of the Yanukovych regime, highlighting key operational tools and cooperation mechanisms for successfully tracing and recovering illegally obtained assets.\n\nThe [interview](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fsites\u002Fcollective.localhost\u002Ffiles\u002Finterview_with_gf_-_the_ukrainian_week_eng_version_16_may_2016_p_18-20.pdf), organised in cooperation with the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine, was published in the weekly Ukrainian-language magazine, as well as in the bi-monthly international (English) edition of [_The Ukrainian Week_](https:\u002F\u002Fukrainianweek.com\u002F).","2016-05-18","gretta-fenner-interviewed-by-the-ukrainian-week-quotthe-really-critical-conditionis-no-political-interferencequot-15","Gretta Fenner interviewed by The Ukrainian Week: \"The really critical condition...is no political interference.\"","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F763ffef9-45a6-4f66-82f8-419a0f2fec80?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[137],7645,[84],[14],[],15,[92],[],[],[],[22],[],"2022-05-26T22:58:52.000Z","2026-05-29T22:22:12.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fgretta-fenner-interviewed-by-the-ukrainian-week-quotthe-really-critical-conditionis-no-political-interferencequot-15",{"id":153,"body":154,"status":6,"type":10,"date":155,"slug":156,"title":157,"image":158,"countries":159,"topic":161,"activity":162,"tags":165,"nid":166,"topics":167,"activities":168,"authors":169,"images":170,"websites":171,"area":20,"programme":20,"language":20,"translations":172,"translation_of":20,"user_created":69,"date_created":173,"user_updated":71,"date_updated":174,"content":175,"link":176},9698,"Estamos encantados de [haber firmado un Convenio de Cooperación Interinstitucional](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Fnew-agreement-perus-special-public-prosecutors-office-brings-fresh-firepower-efforts-recover) con la Procuraduría General del Estado del Perú. A continuación figura el discurso pronunciado por Gretta Fenner, Directora General del Basel Institute on Governance, en la ocasión de la ceremonia de suscripción del Convenio de Cooperación Interinstitucional el 29 de julio del 2020:\n\nDistinguido Procurado General de la Republica, Dr. Daniel Soria Luján. Distinguido Secretario Técnico del Consejo de Defensa Jurídica del Estado, Dr. Martín Mijichich Loli. Distinguidos Miembros del Consejo de Defensa Jurídica del Estado.\n\nUna vez más, es un enorme placer estar frente a ustedes el día de hoy en ocasión de la firma del Convenio de Cooperación entre nuestras instituciones. A pesar de las condiciones desfavorables debido a la pandemia y de que esta reunión sea por video conferencia, quisiera comenzar por renovar nuestro compromiso con el Estado peruano en general y con la Procuraduría publica en particular.\n\nDesde el año 2013, el Basel Institute on Governance mantiene una fructífera relación interinstitucional con los procuradores especializados, en virtud del Convenio y adendas suscritas con el Ministerio de Justicia y Derechos Humanos.\n\nGracias a este marco de cooperación, el Basel Institute ha prestado asistencia técnica a la Procuraduría Especializada en Delitos de Corrupción en casos emblemáticos para la recuperación de activos ilícitos sustraídos al Estado peruano, como las cuentas vinculadas al ex asesor presidencial Vladimiro Montesinos, ubicadas en Suiza y en Luxemburgo; lográndose la recuperación de más de USD 30 millones que actualmente se encuentran en proceso de repatriación.\n\nAsimismo, nuestros especialistas han hecho esfuerzos para fortalecer las competencias de los procuradores públicos en recuperación de activos y temas vinculados a través de la impartición de actividades de formación continua, conceptualizadas especialmente de acuerdo con sus demandas específicas.\n\nPor otra parte, nuestra participación en el proceso legislativo de la nueva ley de extinción de dominio por invitación del Dr. Martin Mijichich y del Consejo de Defensa Jurídica del Estado, nos abre muchas oportunidades de colaboración con la Procuraduría General en los años por venir.\n\nAsí, en esta nueva etapa, el presente Convenio de Cooperación Interinstitucional tiene como objetivos renovados la asistencia técnica aplicada y el fortalecimiento de las capacidades de los operadores del Sistema de Defensa Jurídica del Estado en temas de lucha contra la corrupción, el lavado de activos y la recuperación de activos ilícitos a través de la cooperación internacional en materia penal, áreas principales de intervención nuestra institución.\n\nCreo firmemente que la cooperación entre nuestras instituciones beneficiará notablemente a los esfuerzos realizados por el Estado peruano para la recuperación del dinero ilícito ubicado en jurisdicciones extranjeras y contribuirá a la consolidación del sistema de administración de justicia del Perú.\n\nPara finalizar, quisiera expresar mi profundo agradecimiento, a Ud. Procurador Soria y a su competente equipo, por la confianza depositada en nuestra institución y por la excelente colaboración en estos casi 8 años de trabajo conjunto. No esta demás reiterarle nuestro gran interés y disponibilidad para continuar en este trabajo coordinado para conseguir los objetivos comunes de nuestras instituciones: erradicar la corrupción y recuperar los activos que éste crimen odioso procura en detrimento del pueblo del Perú.\n\n_“Si ha existido una época en la historia del mundo en la cual la corrupción destruye las vidas de las personas y en la cual la recuperación de activos puede contrarrestar esta tendencia, ese tiempo es ahora”._\n\nPor ese motivo, desde el lugar que nos ha tocado ocupar en la historia, daremos nuestro mejor esfuerzo para ayudar a la recuperación y al desarrollo de vuestro magnifico país.\n\nMe gustaría terminar mi breve presentación enviándoles un fuerte abrazo fraterno a todos los peruanos por el aniversario patrio que se celebra esta semana en el Perú. Feliz 28 de julio.","2020-07-30","discurso-de-gretta-fenner-en-la-ocasion-de-la-ceremonia-de-suscripcion-del-convenio-de-cooperacion-entre-el-basel-institute-on-governance-y-la-procuraduria-general-del-estado-del-peru-1830","Discurso de Gretta Fenner en la ocasión de la ceremonia de suscripción del Convenio de Cooperación entre el Basel Institute on Governance y la Procuraduría General del Estado del Perú","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F18c34fa0-93e1-4ba5-98a3-da861b6efac8?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[160],7405,[84],[88,163,164],"Partnerships","International cooperation",[],1830,[92],[88,163,164],[],[],[22],[],"2022-05-26T22:54:28.000Z","2026-05-29T22:21:50.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fdiscurso-de-gretta-fenner-en-la-ocasion-de-la-ceremonia-de-suscripcion-del-convenio-de-cooperacion-entre-el-basel-institute-on-governance-y-la-procuraduria-general-del-estado-del-peru-1830",{"id":178,"body":179,"status":6,"type":10,"date":180,"slug":181,"title":182,"image":183,"countries":184,"topic":185,"activity":186,"tags":187,"nid":188,"topics":189,"activities":190,"authors":191,"images":192,"websites":193,"area":20,"programme":20,"language":20,"translations":194,"translation_of":20,"user_created":69,"date_created":195,"user_updated":196,"date_updated":8,"content":197,"link":198},10439,"A memorial service for our Managing Director, Gretta Fenner, was held on Wednesday, 8 May at 14:00 CEST at the Grossmünster in Zurich, and streamed live for those unable to attend in person.\n\nThe two-hour service was a beautiful occasion for hundreds of family members, friends, colleagues and partners to come together and share their grief at her passing.\n\nThe service, in German and English, featured music, dance and moving speeches by Gretta's partner Christian Wenaweser and by the Basel Institute's President Peter Maurer. [View Peter Maurer's speech](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2024-05\u002FGretta%20memorial%20-%20Peter%20Maurer%20speech.pdf).\n\nIn lieu of flowers, Gretta's family requested that donations can be made to support the tennis club in Nairobi, which Gretta helped to set up and where her son Lukas had a wonderful time earlier this year. The Basel Institute is still collecting these donations on behalf of the family. [View details](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2024-04\u002FInvitation_Memorial.pdf).\n\nA tribute site to Gretta Fenner featuring messages from colleagues and partners can be viewed [here](https:\u002F\u002Fgretta.baselgovernance.org\u002F).","2024-05-09","memorial-service-for-gretta-fenner-8-may-2024-2618","Memorial service for Gretta Fenner: 8 May 2024","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fe76b0c84-6102-44e8-ba19-771178041a97?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[14],[14],[],2618,[],[],[],[],[22],[],"2024-04-23T10:01:32.000Z","b0662e2a-864d-4888-a1b7-4342b7570b30",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fmemorial-service-for-gretta-fenner-8-may-2024-2618",{"id":200,"body":201,"status":6,"type":45,"date":202,"slug":203,"title":204,"image":205,"countries":206,"topic":207,"activity":208,"tags":209,"nid":210,"topics":211,"activities":212,"authors":213,"images":215,"websites":216,"area":20,"programme":20,"language":20,"translations":217,"translation_of":20,"user_created":69,"date_created":218,"user_updated":196,"date_updated":8,"content":219,"link":220},10452,"Gemma Aiolfi led the Basel Institute’s Compliance and Collective Action work for many years, working closely with our late Managing Director [Gretta Fenner](https:\u002F\u002Fgretta.baselgovernance.org\u002F) as well as our former President Mark Pieth to transform private-sector engagement in the fight against corruption.\n\nAt the [5th International Collective Action Conference](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fget-involved\u002Fevents\u002Ficac-2024) on 24 June 2024, Gemma spoke of Gretta’s passion and efforts over the years to promote and support Collective Action approaches and initiatives. Her speech, which you can [watch here](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=I13AJz1v15o&list=PLYRnhpCcnLP9vG5x9LK9p9Z-4SniNYhF_&index=10), preceded the prize-giving ceremony for the 2024 International Anti-Corruption Collective Action Awards, in which one of the Awards has been renamed in memory of Gretta.\n\n> It is a pleasure and privilege for me to announce that the Outstanding Achievement Award is being renamed in honour and recognition of Gretta Fenner’s commitment to Collective Action, over all the years that she led the Institute.\n> \n> In fact, her approach to collaboration, bringing people together, breaking down silos and seeking practical solutions to difficult problems, really started when she first began her professional career at the OECD, when she convened multi-stakeholder meetings in the Asia-Pacific region in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.\n> \n> And so it’s fitting that the Basel Institute’s Private Sector team continues to work with the OECD to support and develop anti-corruption Collective Action in that region. \n> \n> As many of you may know, Collective Action was the initial inspiration for establishing the Basel Institute. Our founder, Professor Mark Pieth, was closely involved in the Wolfsberg Group and the World Economic Forum’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative. He had an ambition to help the private sector to prevent corruption as a complementary approach to his work at the OECD to criminalise bribery through laws and regulations. In those days we called these multi-stakeholder efforts “industry standards”.\n> \n> So when Gretta first joined the institute, “Collective Action” as a term for anti-corruption initiatives wasn’t yet part of the terminology. But she embraced the concept because it resonated with her. And she supported the World Economic Forum and Wolfsberg Group initiatives as part of building up the Institute, in those early days.\n> \n> I think it’s fair to say that her belief in the power of collaboration between governments, companies and civil society really informed the way she believed the Institute itself should approach its work. Not only in the Private Sector team, but also in asset recovery, green corruption and the training methodologies as well.\n> \n> Gretta personified all the positive and good elements that we need and talk about in Collective Action: She had the rare gift of being a very good listener, courageous, innovative, diplomatic, mostly optimistic, and she was also a realist.\n> \n> So we had many discussions over the years about how to raise awareness about Collective Action, to mainstream it into a norm and to make it part of the toolkit to address corruption.\n> \n> She recognised that improving private-sector compliance programmes presented an opportunity to suggest Collective Action as a way to reduce corruption risks in challenging markets. She supported and advocated for its inclusion in the OECD Anti-Bribery Recommendation, as well as in other guidance and policy documents, such as in National Anti-Corruption Strategies.\n> \n> Whenever Gretta returned to the office from her international travels and meetings she was always excited to tell us about any glimmer of an opportunity to promote Collective Action in a particular location or with a potential partner.\n> \n> While Gretta emphasised that each sector has its own unique role and responsibility, she also knew that it’s only through joint efforts that we can create sustainable and impactful solutions to combat bribery.\n> \n> She saw the bigger picture, and knew how to bring it all together: Governments must establish robust legal frameworks and enforce anti-bribery laws; businesses should foster cultures of integrity and implement stringent compliance measures; and civil society can hold both public and private sectors accountable, as well as act as facilitators of Collective Action initiatives.\n> \n> For those of you who have attended our Collective Action conferences over the last 10 years, or participated in any of the other many meetings around the world, I’m sure you’ll recall Gretta’s grace, determination and great sense of humour.\n> \n> I do believe she would have been modestly delighted to know that the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Collective Action is now being given in her name. Thank you.","2024-06-25","gemma-aiolfi-tribute-to-gretta-fenner-at-the-5th-international-collective-action-conference-2646","Gemma Aiolfi: Tribute to Gretta Fenner at the 5th International Collective Action Conference","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fe267bdce-c3ce-4503-9ec0-f6c3a5cfeb1c?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[53,54],[14],[],2646,[53,54],[],[214],1112,[],[22,53],[],"2024-06-25T10:01:40.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fgemma-aiolfi-tribute-to-gretta-fenner-at-the-5th-international-collective-action-conference-2646",{"id":222,"body":223,"status":6,"type":10,"date":224,"slug":225,"title":226,"image":227,"countries":228,"topic":229,"activity":230,"tags":232,"nid":233,"topics":234,"activities":235,"authors":236,"images":237,"websites":20,"area":20,"programme":20,"language":238,"translations":239,"translation_of":20,"user_created":69,"date_created":240,"user_updated":71,"date_updated":241,"content":242,"link":243},10581,"We are pleased to announce the launch of a special crowdfunding campaign on the day of what would have been Gretta Fenner’s 50th birthday.\n\nThe campaign supports the Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund, which enables talented individuals from lower-income backgrounds to access our advanced anti-corruption programmes.\n\nYou can [visit and share the campaign page here](https:\u002F\u002Fwhydonate.com\u002Ffundraising\u002Fgretta-fenner-scholarship-fund).\n\n### Gretta’s commitment to education and integrity\n\nOur long-serving and inspiring leader of two decades, [Gretta Fenner](https:\u002F\u002Fgretta.baselgovernance.org\u002F), understood the value and power of education. She invested boldly on behalf of the Basel Institute in [Basel STUDY](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fstudy) – academic programmes with the University of Basel – to help build tomorrow’s leaders in the fight against corruption and financial crime.\n\nGretta was inspired by the people she met in every corner of the world and in every profession during her famously whirlwind travels. She recognised the potential in individuals who showed initiative, talent and the inner fire to pursue impactful careers strengthening governance and transparency and combating corruption and financial crime.\n\nShe wanted to open the door to meaningful education and lifelong learning beyond school or university, beyond short courses, videos and slides.\n\n### Investing in future leaders\n\nAll of us at the Basel Institute share this belief. Each of us can tell a story of how education, peer networks and continuous learning have shaped our careers and opened new opportunities.\n\nThis is why we are asking for your support for the Scholarship Fund named in Gretta’s honour. \n\nThe [Scholarship Fund](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fstudy\u002Fscholarship) supports applicants from lower-income backgrounds who show a strong commitment to anti-corruption, transparency and good governance in their fields or communities. All funds raised go towards these students' tuition fees and, in some cases, travel to Basel for in-person course launch and closing events.\n\n### The Fund’s impact\n\nOne Scholarship recipient starting our first anti-corruption course spoke of his determination to _“…resolve anti-corruption challenges from an African perspective”_, while another shared how _“this prestigious study programme… offers a forum to learn from professionals who are influencing the global conversation on anti-corruption.”_\n\nShe acknowledged:\n\n> _“This educational journey would not have been possible without the support of the Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund.”_\n\n### How to support\n\nIf education or the generosity of others have ever shaped your life, please consider giving – or inviting others to give – before the year ends.\n\nWith a target of CHF 100,000, we aim to fund up to 20 scholarships in 2026 and help advance Gretta’s vision for global peace, stability and sustainability.\n\nTo donate or share the campaign with your networks, please visit the [Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund platform](https:\u002F\u002Fwhydonate.com\u002Ffundraising\u002Fgretta-fenner-scholarship-fund).","2025-11-22","launch-of-the-gretta-fenner-scholarship-fund-campaign-changing-lives-through-education-2875","Launch of the Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund campaign: Changing lives through education","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F12330f9e-9b30-45fa-8526-a88cc7e84302?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[84,85,86],[56,231,163],"Training",[],2875,[92,93],[56,231,163],[],[],"English",[],"2025-11-21T17:01:43.000Z","2026-05-29T22:22:38.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Flaunch-of-the-gretta-fenner-scholarship-fund-campaign-changing-lives-through-education-2875",{"id":245,"body":246,"status":6,"type":45,"date":247,"slug":248,"title":249,"image":250,"countries":251,"topic":253,"activity":254,"tags":255,"nid":256,"topics":257,"activities":258,"authors":259,"images":261,"websites":262,"area":20,"programme":20,"language":20,"translations":263,"translation_of":20,"user_created":69,"date_created":264,"user_updated":71,"date_updated":101,"content":265,"link":266},9591,"At a high-profile speech at the [Ukraine 30 Forum](https:\u002F\u002Fukraine30.com\u002Fen\u002F) last week, the Basel Institute's Managing Director Gretta Fenner emphasised that it is critical that Ukraine swiftly and professionally concludes the asset recovery processes started after the Revolution of Dignity. She also urged the country to fully empower its anti-corruption institutions and reduce the hurdles that have been put in their ways. High levels of corruption continue to drain the country's resources and threaten its democracy.\n\nInitiated by President Volodymyr Zelensky in February 2021, the Ukraine 30 Forum is a platform for discussion between the public and private sectors, civil society and other experts in the run-up to Ukraine's 30th anniversary of independence on 24 August 2021. Since February, the forum has tackled a range of critical topics including coronavirus, the justice system, education, digitalisation and national security.\n\nGretta spoke immediately after President Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on 15 June, on the second day of the Forum's special session on \"An economy without oligarchs\". Her full speech is below in English and can be viewed on YouTube [here in Ukrainian](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=jr1LfKWhNIY&t=76s) and [here in English](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=cFe7ydSCu24) (starting at minute 30:30).\n\n> Mr President\n> \n> Prime Minister\n> \n> Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen\n> \n> And most importantly: Dear friends from Ukraine\n> \n> It is a privilege to speak to you this morning and to be part of Forum 30 which leads up to the celebration of 30 years of independence of Ukraine in August.\n> \n> I am sorry I cannot be with you in Kyiv today, especially as I was in your beautiful capital just last week. But let’s come to the topic of today: Corruption and asset recovery. Talking of these topics in the context of celebrating your country’s independence is very pertinent, because independence and the fight against corruption are closely entwined.\n> \n> *   If a country is captured by vested interests and corrupt crime groups, then democracy is at stake, and I believe you would all agree that democracy has been the goal of Ukraine’s independence.\n> *   Second, it is crucial that anti-corruption institutions can act independently. If they are at risk of undue political or economic interference, they lose their ability to effectively combat corruption. \n> *   Third, when grand corruption is widely present, criminals steal large amounts of public assets. As a result the country lacks resources to invest in important public services and infrastructure. The country and its people are impoverished, and they become dependent on foreign aid.\n> \n> Reducing corruption and getting stolen assets back is important for Ukraine because the country urgently needs this money to build schools, hospitals, roads, and to invest in job creation.\n> \n> But it is important for another reason too: Asset recovery is considered a particularly powerful weapon against corruption. And when I say corruption here, I mean _grand_ corruption, the kind that siphons of millions and billions from your country.\n> \n> If law enforcement is successful in depriving criminals of their stolen assets, the crime of corruption is all of a sudden much less attractive. And while it is important to put corrupt people in prison when found guilty, it hurts them a lot more if you also take their money away.\n> \n> The efforts of Ukraine since 2014 to recover stolen assets are therefore very important from both a social and economic development perspective, and from a criminal justice perspective.\n> \n> My organisation, the Basel Institute on Governance, has had the privilege of supporting Ukraine in its efforts to recover stolen assets since 2014, when very shortly after the Revolution of Dignity, the Office of the Prosecutor General asked us to assist with finding and recovering the money that was stolen by former President Yanukovych and his allies. This cooperation was reinforced with the signing, last year at the occasion of the visit to Ukraine of then Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga, of a [tripartite agreement](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Ftripartite-agreement-brings-fresh-potential-fight-against-corruption-ukraine) between Switzerland, the Office of the Prosecutor General and NABU, underscoring the cooperation of Switzerland, Ukraine and my organisation to recover stolen assets.\n> \n> Since 2014, Ukraine has recorded progress, but the progress has sometimes been slower than we would hope.\n> \n> The first very positive development immediately after the Revolution of Dignity was the international reaction. Switzerland, which by the way finances our work in Ukraine, the European Union and other important jurisdictions, have immediately frozen assets suspected of having been stolen by the regime of former President Yanukovych. The intention of this international action to freeze these assets was to give Ukraine time to investigate the underlying crimes, to prove that the money stems from corruption, and ultimately to confiscate it so that it can be returned to Ukraine.\n> \n> But these freeze orders are not open-ended. And foreign countries cannot return the money to Ukraine without the help of Ukraine. Through our work, we were able to help advance the cooperation between Ukraine and the countries where assets have been frozen. These countries have provided Ukraine with information about the bank accounts and with other evidence.\n> \n> But now the ball is largely in Ukraine’s camp. It’s the Ukrainian institutions that need to finish investigating and then prosecute the cases, and the Courts that need to confirm the criminal origin of these assets. Only then can the other countries release the funds and the money can be returned to Ukraine. And with that money, schools can be built, or roads, or hospitals.\n> \n> Time is of the essence now; we may have another two or three years until most freezes will expire. That means that Ukrainian institutions have to work at full speed, and have to be allowed to do so, so that we can see successful prosecutions and confiscations in Ukrainian Courts.\n> \n> For this, Ukraine does have the necessary institutions, and this is another positive development that has happened since the Revolution of Dignity. In addition to the OPG, these include, as you know well, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, two institutions with which we work closely and who are very important for this country. There is also ARMA and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention, and the State Bureau for Investigations. In this context I am particularly pleased to confirm that we have just signed a cooperation agreement with SBI last week when I was in Kyiv. And of course, very important, the High Anti-Corruption Court.\n> \n> These institutions are all very important, but they have an incredibly difficult job. Investigating cases of grand corruption is extremely challenging; expertise in the field of asset recovery is very rare; and the criminals are using their still vast resources to pay for some of the most experienced defence attorneys to make the job of NABU, SBI or OPG ever more difficult.\n> \n> On top of that, it has been hard to watch how over the years, a whole range of home-grown obstacles was put in the way of these critical institutions and how they continue to suffer greatly from instability brought to them from the outside:\n> \n> In the seven years that we have been supporting Ukraine, we have worked with five Prosecutors General, some of which were more, some less reform oriented. This is a real problem for the stability of this key institution, and has at times definitely had a negative impact on its performance.\n> \n> Adding to this problem is the fact that key anti-corruption institutions have not had a chief for a prolonged period. The positions of Heads of SAPO, of ARMA and of SBI have been vacant for far too long, and the selection process for Head of SAPO is in serious trouble. This is not to suggest that the Acting Heads of these institutions are not doing a good job; they are doing a very good job in many cases. But it adds to the instability, and it puts into question the will of some to enable these institutions to be effective. \n> \n> And last but not least, as you know, there have been something like 18 attempts to remove the current Director of NABU from his position. And nobody will make me believe that this is because he is so bad at his job; rather, I would argue it is because he is a threat to those who have reason to fear him and NABU.\n> \n> In addition to that, we have had one backlash after the other when it comes to reforming Ukraine’s legislative framework.\n> \n> *   The decision by the Constitutional Court to rescind the asset declaration law is very problematic for example.\n> *   The law on illicit enrichment, which was passed in Parliament just recently, is a poor replacement for the previous law. It has serious weaknesses, as confirmed by the Venice Commission, and it will make it extremely hard for investigators and prosecutors in their efforts to stem out corruption.\n> *   And finally, ample evidence of serious corruption in the Ukrainian Court system may well be the final straw to Ukraine’s efforts to recover the billions of hryvnia that have been stolen, stolen from Ukraine, stolen from the people of Ukraine.\n> \n> So this is a make or break moment. If we are not successful in recovering these stolen assets, then people will lose patience, they will lose hope, and they will lose trust in this country’s institutions, again. Because it will seem to people that the corrupt continue to get away with their crime. And it can seem like an invitation to others to also steal.\n> \n> Corruption may seem only one of the many problems this country has to grapple with. But you should remember that corruption is at the heart of pretty much any other problem you are facing. Corruption fuels conflict and is known as a serious threat to national security; corruption fuels organised crime; corruption destroys the health system; corruption leads to poor education; corruption leads to poverty. It is no exaggeration when we say that in many ways, corruption kills.\n> \n> Mr President, Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen. This is a critical time.\n> \n> The international community, and my institution included, continues to support you in your efforts to fight corruption and recover stolen assets. But we must see sincere effort in Ukraine; we must see that there is an end to the undermining of the independence of key institutions; we must see these institutions with strong leadership; we must urgently re-instil independence, impartiality and professionalism in the Court system; and we must pass legislation that is up to international standards and that can work, not legislation that undermines the anti-corruption drive.\n> \n> This is what we hope to see from the politicians in this country, and I sincerely hope that they will show that they have the best interests of the country – and of the Ukrainian people – at heart. I trust and know that you do, Mr President, Prime Minister.\n> \n> We are here to help, and together with our partners in NABU, at OPG and at SBI, with our partners in Switzerland and across the world, we will continue to stand by your country’s side to end impunity for corruption and hopefully return many of the stolen assets to Ukraine, so they can be used for the benefit of the people of Ukraine.\n> \n> I thank you.","2021-06-23","a-make-or-break-moment-gretta-fenner-urges-ukrainian-political-leaders-to-speed-up-asset-recovery-and-remove-obstacles-to-combating-corruption-2037","A make-or-break moment: Gretta Fenner urges Ukrainian political leaders to speed up asset recovery and remove obstacles to combating corruption","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Ff1b29718-67be-4a3a-bd71-56f23ad6e9ce?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[252],7337,[84],[56,88],[],2037,[92],[56,88],[260],1192,[],[22],[],"2022-05-26T22:52:57.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fa-make-or-break-moment-gretta-fenner-urges-ukrainian-political-leaders-to-speed-up-asset-recovery-and-remove-obstacles-to-combating-corruption-2037",{"left":268,"top":268,"width":269,"height":269,"rotate":268,"vFlip":270,"hFlip":270,"body":271},0,20,false,"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M17 10a.75.75 0 0 1-.75.75H5.612l4.158 3.96a.75.75 0 1 1-1.04 1.08l-5.5-5.25a.75.75 0 0 1 0-1.08l5.5-5.25a.75.75 0 1 1 1.04 1.08L5.612 9.25H16.25A.75.75 0 0 1 17 10\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\u002F>",1780676494672]