The first G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) Meeting was held in Istanbul on 4-5 March 2015. G20 members, invited countries and international organizations attended the meeting. Representatives of the B20 and Transparency International also attended certain sessions held on the 2nd day of the ACWG meeting.
The meeting was the first ACWG meeting under the Turkish Presidency and offered an important opportunity to kick-off the implementation of G20 2015-2016 Anti-Corruption Work Plan.
Mr. Selahaddin Menteş, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice of Turkey attended the meeting and made opening remarks. Turkey and the United States, as the Co-Chairs of the G20 ACWG, made presentations on the 2015 priorities and workplan. Discussions then continued on the following topics covered by 2015-2016 G20 ACWG Action Plan.
- Private Sector Transparency and Integrity
- Partnership with Business and Civil Society
- Beneficial Ownership Transparency(BO)
- Public Sector Transparency and Integrity
- Immunities from Prosecution
- Asset- Financial Disclosure
- Procurement
- Open Data
- Foreign Bribery
- International Cooperation
- UNCAC
- Asset Recovery Regimes
- Denial of Entry
- Preventing and Combating Corruption in High-Risk Areas
- Extractives
- Fisheries and Primary Forestry
- Construction
Participants shared their views on the ongoing work program and a number of concrete deliverables on priority areas contained in the 2015-15 Action and Implementation Plans were discussed as possible outcomes for 2015.
Under Private Sector Transparency and Integrity several topics were highlighted and agreed, including: developing an SME toolkit for anti-corruption issues and establishing an international centre for ethics and integrity for the business community in close cooperation with B20; producing G20 high-level principles on anticorruption ethics and compliance, in line with the principles developed by APEC as well as OECD and UNODC, and drawing on existing research and information on the issue; and initiating dialogue with financial institutions to discuss their role in and experiences with handling the risks related to the movement of proceeds of corruption.
The Group also reaffirmed UNCAC’s vital role on international cooperation, agreed on developing written individual implementation plans on the High Level Principles of Beneficial Ownership, continuing analysis of immunities from prosecution and, finalizing draft principles on procurement and open data before the June meeting. .
The ACWG will continue its work in accordance with the agreed agenda at the next meeting which will take place on 16-17 June 2015 in Washington.
