On September 22-23, 2011, the GUAM Secretariat in Kyiv, Ukraine hosted the fifth meeting of the Working Sub-Group on Combating Corruption and Money Laundering (WGS-CML), which was held under Georgia’s chairmanship. Delegations from GUAM member states, the GUAM Secretariat, representatives of the OECD, UNODC and the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine took part in the meeting.
Participating delegations exchanged information on national legislation, the operational situation and the fulfilment of the tasks required in combating corruption and money laundering.
The Working Sub-Group discussed the course of implementation of GUAM projects, supported by the USA, in combating corruption jointly with the Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and on combating money laundering and the seizure and confiscation of the proceeds from criminal activity jointly with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The Working Sub-Group supported proposals for broadening direct channels of communication between relevant GUAM member states’ ministries and agencies operating both at the national and regional levels.
The delegations exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation between GUAM member states, including initiatives for sharing information at the operational level.
The outcomes of the meeting were reflected in the resultant Protocol. The next meeting of the WGS-CML is scheduled to take place in March 2012.
