StAR | Addressing Anti-Corruption, Money Laundering & Asset Recovery

StAR supports international efforts to end safe havens for corrupt funds. 

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20
Countries received StAR assistance in 2023
10
Countries received technical assistance on legislative reform in 2023
4
Countries adopted new laws or amendments related to asset recovery with support from StAR in 2023
600+
People trained by StAR in 2023
24
Global policy events contributed to by StAR [in-person and virtually] in 2023
3
Countries receiving StAR assistance opened or concluded at least one AR case involving proceeds of corruption in 2023
6
Countries received StAR support to improve domestic coordination processes in 2023
12
Countries received StAR support to improve international cooperation processes in 2023

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Restoring proceeds of corruption to their rightful owner is a development imperative. By returning corrupt funds, we can mobilize resources to reduce poverty and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. It is also the right thing to do.

Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director, UNODC

StAR Publications

StAR's policy work is grounded in extensive practical expertise and innovative and in-depth knowledge products by its staff who are drawn from a number of disciplines.
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The StAR Blog

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ARW home page
The Asset Recovery Watch Database
April 26, 2024
GFAR AS
Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) Action Series
January 31, 2024
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Unexplained Wealth Orders: A New Frontier for Asset Recovery?
October 31, 2023
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Confiscated asset returns and the United Nations Convention against ...
July 31, 2023

Signatures for Sale: A Look Inside the Corporate Secrecy Industry

Our session at International Anti-Corruption Conference, 2022 shed light on questionable practices of the corporate secrecy industry and highlighted mechanisms designed to evade corporate transparency rules. In particular, nominees are a major but underappreciated point of vulnerability in efforts to increase corporate transparency. Measures to address misuse of nominees need to be a core part of policy efforts to improve transparency of corporate entities.

These policy recommendations are jointly published by the Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiative, Transparency International Canada and Finance Uncovered based on the discussion and feedback during StAR's session on the corporate secrecy industry during the IACC.

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And let's not mince words: we need to deal with the cancer of corruption. In country after country, it is the people who are demanding action on this issue…we all know that it is a major barrier to sound and equitable development. Corruption is a problem that all countries have to confront.

James Wolfensohn, 9th President of the World Bank Group

Upcoming Events

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This year [2022] marks the 15th anniversary of StAR, the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. In partnership with the United Nations, this initiative assists countries to achieve accountability, recover stolen public assets, and repair the damage from corruption.

David Malpass, 13th President of the World Bank Group