The Forum will begin with opening remarks by OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann and high-level keynote addresses by leaders, followed by this first panel. A country’s commitment to public integrity is above all demonstrated through establishing clear expectations for the highest political levels for their exemplary personal behaviour, including their demonstration of a high standard of propriety in the discharge of official duties. Such expectations are usually translated as standards and oversight mechanisms that aim at providing accountability to the political system. However, because of the nature of politics, agreeing on integrity standards for elected and appointed officials, and in particular enforcing them, comes along with challenges. This is also increasingly difficult today due to the higher degree of political polarisation. Unpacking these challenges, this session will explore how to reach consensus on key standards of behaviour for elected and appointed public officials and how to best ensure their implementation and oversight. Simultaneous English-French interpretation will be provided.

A post-COVID-19 world that is inclusive, open, resilient and sustainable requires rebuilding trust and integrity into the system. Nowhere is this more necessary and challenging than in infrastructure development, where multiple actors, large sums of money and elevated socio-political expectations can be drivers of corruption and conflict. At a time when the need to close the infrastructure gap has never been more urgent, governments and industry are launching innovative solutions, like the Blue Dot Network, to incentivise quality infrastructure investments globally. How can the international community ensure that prevention and detection of corruption are at the heart of these efforts, across all stages of the project life cycle? How can we ensure that infrastructure investments deliver their core purpose of meeting the basic needs of society while also protecting the planet? This session will focus on how stakeholders can practically implement innovative anti-corruption measures, with a focus on public-private cooperation, leading with integrity, and the adoption of new technologies to ensure a sustainable future of quality infrastructure for all.

Investigative journalism plays a key role in strengthening accountability by revealing transnational corruption and illicit financial flows. Revelations such as those of the Panama, Paradise, and more recently Pandora Papers, published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, have contributed to hold powerful individuals to account, launch criminal investigations, drive legislative reforms targeting shell companies, and recover billions of USD in taxes and penalties. Drawing on current work, this session will discuss the impact of investigative journalism in fighting corruption; what it has revealed about enablers and drivers of corruption; and its implications and lessons for development co-operation, including opportunities to further leverage investigative journalism to enable more systemic and sustainable change. Simultaneous English-French interpretation will be provided.

This session will begin with opening remarks from Jeffrey Schlagenhauf, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD, and Lili Pintauli Siregar, Vice-Chairman, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Indonesia. Fraud and corruption undermine public policies and services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, fraud estimates have been in the billions of dollars in several G20 countries. Supreme audit institutions (SAIs) and internal audit functions in the public sector are key players in the fight against fraud and corruption in the public sector. This session explores how the pandemic has stress-tested SAI’s and IAF’s work, and it considers a path forward to address common governance challenges, including combating fraud and corruption, amid crises. Key questions include: - What are the lessons learned in terms of how the pandemic tested the work of external and internal auditors to oversee public spending, including the strategies and frameworks that public audit entities use to safeguard integrity and combat corruption/fraud? - With accelerated public spending came amplified risks. What tools proved to be most effective for mitigating risks and ensuring accountability, transparency and integrity in spending, including preventing and detecting fraud and corruption? - What has the crisis taught us about what more can be done to strengthen co-operation and collaboration between internal and external auditors, in particular, or even other actors (e.g. anti-corruption agencies, financial integrity units (FIUs), regulators and law enforcement) so that we can better tackle the next crisis with greater coherence and co-ordination?

With more than 260 gigawatts (GW) of renewables capacity added in 2020 and the significant decrease in the cost of renewable energy coupled with the growth of clean tech markets and ESG targets, investment in renewable energy is forecasted to grow significantly as countries seek to meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement. In fact, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), to reach net zero emissions by 2050, annual clean energy investment worldwide will need to more than triple by 2030 to around USD 4 trillion. However, the scale and speed of this significant capital investment into renewable energy projects, coupled with the “gate-keeping” function performed by governments and the existence of discretionary decision-making powers, can create opportunities for corruption. These corruption risks may be further exacerbated by the involvement of new players, alongside the involvement of the corporate sector. Evidence as to the nature and scope of corruption in the renewables sector is not yet empirically established. An important step in managing corruption in renewables will rely on quantitatively and qualitatively assessing corruption risks in the sector across different renewable energy technologies (i.e. solar, wind and hydropower, green hydrogen) at different stages of their value chain. It is also important to understand the degree to which corruption can move across the non-renewable and renewable sectors, also driven by the growing demand for critical minerals, given the central role played by leading national agencies in the energy sector and the vested interests that arise in the net-zero transition. This session will be an opportunity to discuss corruption risks, their management and mitigation in the renewable energy sector and to explore where lessons can be learned from other sectors, including the extractive industry. Closing remarks will be provided by Esther Bogaart, co-Chair G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG), Assistant Secretary of the Fraud Prevention and Anti-Corruption Branch, Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department, and Nejla Saula, Head of the Sherpa Office and Global Governance Unit, OECD.

On 9 December 2021, the OECD released the revised Recommendation on Further Fighting the Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. The Recommendation represents the latest and sharpest addition to the OECD’s toolbox for combating cross-border corruption, integrating lessons learned from the past 10 years of implementing the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention – including lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Recommendation addresses key emerging topics essential to the effective fight against foreign bribery, including: addressing the demand side of foreign bribery; sanctions and confiscation; non-trial resolutions; international cooperation; protection of reporting persons; incentives for compliance; and data protection. This session will focus on the responsibility we all have – governments, business, and citizens – to contribute to the fight against foreign bribery and how the revised Anti-Bribery Recommendation can foster this effort.

The replay of the session is now available - scroll down to access the video, or copy the link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL4UxfW2Roc. This session is organised by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) and the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), Knowledge Partners of the virtual 2022 OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum. The language of this session is English. The rising demand for the minerals used in green technologies risks triggering a surge in corruption similar to that observed during past commodity booms. Such a surge could undermine the reliable supply of these minerals, thereby threatening global efforts to develop low carbon economies. More than half of the world’s nickel, cobalt and rare earth reserves are located in countries with high levels of corruption, and corruption in mining operations, offtake deals or elsewhere could lead to costly delays and scandals for participants across the supply chain. Corruption in critical mineral supply chains could also inflict harm on the citizens of producer countries. Past extractive sector corruption has led to lost public revenue and foreign investment, human rights abuses, environmental damage, wavering public trust, political instability and other costs. Currently, corruption receives relatively limited attention from various critical mineral and green technology supply chain initiatives. However, governments, companies, civil society and international organizations and experts have learned a great deal about how to prevent extractive sector corruption. This event will bring together these stakeholders to discuss what kinds of integrity measures are crucial to preventing corruption in these mineral markets, including transparency in revenues, SOE affairs and beneficial ownership, and how such measures could advance. https://resourcegovernance.org/ https://eiti.org/

The replay of the session is now available - scroll down to access the video, or copy the link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raRGpuK6STU. This session is organised by the Queen Mary Global Policy Institute, Knowledge Partner of the virtual 2022 OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum. The language of this session is English. Trust and integrity are strongly linked, and it is only when governmental tasks are performed with integrity that trust in institutions and governmental decisions can grow. Our study of the role of experts in the decision-making process for the containment of Covid-19 shows that experts can help the government gain citizen's trust when it performs its tasks with integrity. Following the science – and not just receiving advice – is necessary for citizens to feel that the government acts with integrity and that they can trust it and comply with its decisions. Drawing on research on the role of experts in developing responses to the coronavirus pandemic, including to vaccine hesitancy, the panel will develop insights and recommendations on the role of expertise in fostering trust in public governance. Our panel includes: - Professor Valsamis Mitsilegas, Professor of European Criminal Law and Global Security and Deputy Dean for Global Engagement (Europe), Queen Mary University of London - Dr. Stella Ladi, Reader in Public Management, Queen Mary University of London - Senator (Arch) Sylvia M. Kasanga MP, Kenyan Parliament - Professor Koleka Mlisana, Executive Manager: Academic Affairs, Research & Quality Assurance (AARQA) / Co-Chair Covid-19 MAC South Africa National Health Laboratory Service

The replay of the session is now available - scroll down to access the video, or copy the link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQZSVfDEsOQ. This session is organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Corruption (UNODC), Knowledge Partner of the virtual 2022 OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum. The language of this session is English. UNODC’s “Global Resource for Anti-Corruption Education and Youth Empowerment (GRACE) initiative”, aims to promote the role of education and youth empowerment in preventing and countering corruption. Under the GRACE initiative, UNODC seeks to meaningfully engage the world’s youth with the aim of recognizing their role as agents of change in creating an atmosphere of non-tolerance towards corruption at all levels of society. By focusing on young people, educators and academics as the epicenter of global sustainable change making processes, GRACE promotes education and youth empowerment as driving engines to renew and strengthen the international community’s efforts towards anti-corruption. The event will discuss the importance of teaching on ethics and integrity, and sharing experiences and lessons learned in this area by engaging speakers and audience in interactive conversations. It will also focus on sharing new insights in the area of education and youth empowerment on ethics and integrity, and presenting innovative ways of working with various stakeholders, while leveraging the advancement of information technologies for learning. https://grace.unodc.org/

Tax evasion and other forms of illicit financial flows (IFFs) are a major policy challenge for developing and emerging economies, particularly in light of the increased fiscal pressures arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Tackling IFFs will support domestic resource mobilisation and help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Recent multilateral action, including the implementation of the Common Reporting Standards (CRS) has been a game changer in the fight against tax-related IFFs, with more than EUR 112 billion of additional revenues collected. However, the broader IFF space is still poorly understood, and IFFs as a whole are poorly measured. Drawing on current work between the OECD and South Africa National Treasury, this session will discuss how countries can continue to fight IFFs, through information exchange and better use of data, improved interagency cooperation and by improving the availability of data and analysis.

Illicit trade is a significant and growing threat in today’s globalised and innovation-driven economy. The damaging impact includes a wide range of socio-economic damages, such as on the environment or on citizens’ health and safety. Criminals running illicit trade networks are seeking to exploit people and our environment to maximise profits, and compromise the public interest and security to expand their trafficking and smuggling operations. They also violate human rights and international labour standards to optimise the manufacturing of illicit goods, creating demand for forced labour and child exploitation. These effects are of high concern for policymakers, as they undermine the rule of law and public trust, fair trade and legal commerce, and ultimately threaten democracy. This session will discuss existing evidence on the adverse impact that illicit trade has on citizen’s health, safety and environment, as well as the incidence of forced labour in illicit market activities that hamper global welfare, economic security, innovation and competitiveness.

The replay of the session is now available - scroll down to access the registration form, or copy the link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86ERuK8Xlaw This session is organised by the Corruption, Justice and Legitimacy Program, The Fletcher School, Tufts University; Knowledge Partner of the virtual 2022 OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum. The language of this session is English. Renewing development aid with integrity requires a shift in thinking about how corruption undermines aid from one that focuses on zero tolerance of fiscal malfeasance to a broader understanding of the ways corruption can impede aid effectiveness. While corruption mainstreaming as an idea is not new, CJL’s framework uses the DAC evaluation criteria of efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, impact, and sustainability to broaden the analysis of how corruption can undermine aid. Our new framework identifies several anticipatable ways that corruption undermines programs’ achievement of these criteria and further explores the consequences for exacerbation of fragility and conflict. We propose steps one needs to take to identify and mitigate each type of corruption threat and its capacity to undermine governance and social cohesion. This framework is derived from a vast literature review on how to adapt anti-corruption programming in FCAS. https://corruptionjusticeandlegitimacy.org

The replay of the session is now available - scroll down to access the video, or copy the link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gqw2BN9244. This session is organised by TransparencIT, Knowledge Partner of the virtual 2022 OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum. The language of this session is English. Corruption in the judiciary has always been a source of concern to the public, especially in Nigeria, which is consistently ranked among the most corrupt countries globally, with high incidences of public sector corruption. Acts of corruption that deny citizens essential health, education, water, and social services often go unpunished due to corruption in the justice system or slow dispensation of justice until we begin to do something about it. In this session, participants will learn about our efforts to use tech to design a trial monitoring system that focuses more on judicial scrutiny, accountability and integrity to reduce delays, improve efficiency, and achieve speedy conclusions of trials of corruption cases without compromising fairness. Participants will understand the challenges we faced, how we overcame them, and the benefit this change had on our organization and the justice system. https://transparencit.com/ https://corruptioncases.ng/