Pakistan Launches its First Review Report in Compliance with the Implementation Review Mechanism of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)

Islamabad, 21 September 2017 - The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organized a launch event to highlight Pakistan's completion of the 1 st review cycle in compliance with the UNCAC. This event was attended by Mr. Zahid Hamid, Minister of Law and Justice, Mr. Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, Chairman of NAB, Mr. Arshad Mirza, Secretary of Interior and Mr. Cesar Guedes, Representative of UNODC in Pakistan.  Among the participants were also key government agencies, international communities, and members of civil society. 

Norway, represented by Mr. Tore Nedrebo, Ambassador of Norway, was extensively present during this event. Norway played a key role as one of the reviewers.

Pakistan marked its accomplishment manifested in the production of the Review Report that reflects key recommendations in view of enhancing Pakistan's legal and institutional capacity as a means of controlling and combatting corruption. Pakistan demonstrated its serious will to take active steps to improve its institutional capacity and align its laws with international norms and standards embodied in the UNCAC.

Having ratified the Convention in August 2007, Pakistan undertook its first review cycle focusing on Chapter III Criminalization and Law Enforcement and Chapter IV International cooperation. Pakistan was reviewed by Norway and the Solomon Islands with the support of UNODC's Secretariat to the Convention. The results of this review are culminated in the Country Review Report which highlights the progress made and identifies areas of improvements to be undertaken by the Government of Pakistan.

UNODC, as the guardian of the Convention, supports State Parties to strengthen their legal and regulatory frameworks, as well as set preventive enforcement and prosecutorial measures to address the most prevalent forms of corruption in both public and private sectors. Furthermore, UNODC provides technical assistance to establish frameworks for stronger cooperation between State Parties to prevent, detect, and return the proceeds of corruption.

NAB, as an apex anti-corruption organization, presented the main findings of the Report and announced its future implementation strategy and support to assist Pakistan in the implementation of recommendations in line with the UNCAC. 

According to the main findings of the Review Report, a number of measures are required of the Government of Pakistan to fully align its domestic legal and institutional framework with the provisions of the UNCAC. 

The Report emphasized the importance of expediting the adoption of the law on witness protection with a fully-fledged witness protection programme as well as the whistle-blower system. It further recommended to enhance the operational and institutional capacity through establishing a more coordinated data collection system and strengthening specialized investigative, prosecutorial and enforcement capacity. To this end, a training academy vested with the required resources should be supported. For the effective enforcement on asset recovery, the need to establish a clear guideline for the handing of seized and confiscated assets was identified along with the suggestion to establish a centralized asset management office. Moreover, strengthening international law enforcement and judicial cooperation and the adoption of mutual legal assistance law were identified in the recommendations.  

The call of support of the international community for Pakistan was also underlined in order to provide the necessary technical assistance in view of the implementation of the recommendations stipulated in the Review Report. 

It is expected that the launch event initiates fruitful exchanges for the support of well-targeted and concrete actions to further enhance the capacity of Pakistan's institutions, public and private, including civil society organizations to tighten their interventions for better governance and anti-corruption in an effective way.

 

The executive summary of the Review Report is available at http://www.unodc.org/documents/treaties/UNCAC/WorkingGroups/ImplementationReviewGroup/ExecutiveSummaries/V1705613e.pdf.