ABIDJAN, CÔTE D’IVOIRE, June 12, 2023—The World Bank Group will host the fifth meeting of the International Corruption Hunters Alliance (ICHA) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on June 14-16, 2023. The ICHA forum will gather more than 300 anticorruption practitioners, policy makers, and civil society representatives from more than 70 countries to discuss the challenges and opportunities for advancing anticorruption efforts around the world.
First convened in 2010, the ICHA forum is a reflection of the World Bank Group’s commitment to combatting corruption in development. The event is a platform for showcasing knowledge and expertise from all corners of the world to strengthen collective efforts against corruption. Participants, who include frontline actors such as public prosecutors, investigators, and law enforcement officials, as well as public officials and representatives from across the private sector and civil society, will have the opportunity to engage one another on critical corruption issues.
“Corruption has a pernicious impact on countries’ economies and development efforts, but the costs of corruption can be particularly devastating for the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable people in society,” said World Bank Group Vice President for Integrity, Mouhamadou Diagne. "The ICHA forum draws upon the skills, strengths, and expertise from all countries to support a broad coalition of actors engaged with common purpose against corruption."
This year, for the first time since its inception, the ICHA forum is being held in an African country. The World Bank Group has partnered with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and its Ministry for the Promotion of Good Governance, Capacity Building, and the Fight against Corruption to co-host the event in Abidjan.
“We appreciate the enthusiastic support of the Government of Côte d’Ivoire in co-hosting this year’s ICHA forum,” said Ousmane Diagana, Vice President for the World Bank’s Western and Central Africa Region. “By bringing this event to Abidjan, the World Bank is affirming its commitment to supporting countries in the region in strengthening their governance and anticorruption efforts to achieve value for money and better development outcomes.”
Under the theme of “Collective Action in an Era of Crises” the three-day ICHA forum will include sessions on rapidly evolving anticorruption topics such as illicit financial flows, beneficial ownership, financial and tax transparency, and managing risks in critical economic sectors. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage in special networking programs, with particular focus on women and young professionals in the anticorruption community.
The opening session of the ICHA 2023 forum will be livestreamed on June 14, 2023 here: https://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2023/06/01/world-bank-international-corruption-hunters-alliance-2023-forum
Contacts:
In Washington: Daniel Nikolits, (202) 967-9832, dnikolits@worldbankgroup.org
In Abidjan: Enoh Ndri, (+225) 49 17 24 25, endri@worldbank.org
Website: www.worldbank.org/integrity
