Workshop "Activating the asset and interest declarations system, in light of the new law and previous experiences"

Organized by: National Anti-Corruption Commission with support of UNDP-ACIAC and UNDP Country Office in Lebanon

The deployment of an effective system for asset and interest declarations is a fundamental pillar of good governance and a cornerstone in preventing and combatting corruption. An effective system contributes to reinforcing trust in public officials working generally in the fields of politics, including in political, legislative, executive, judicial, military and security positions. It also plays a role in preventing potential conflict between those officials’ private interests and the public good and provides the concerned authorities with the necessary tools to unveil illicit enrichment, thus establishing accountability. This goes in line with the fifth clause in article eight of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), international practices in that regard, and global comparative experiences.
Law number 189/2020 provides for the regulation of the asset and interests declarations processes, in line with the best practices and also addresses the gaps in previous legislation and practices. The law has radically amended the previous law provisions which had pioneered the establishment of a Lebanese asset and interest declarations system in 1954, and which had undergone amendments rendering the law obsolete in 1999. The new law assigned the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) as the only body in charge of receiving the asset and interest declarations, a role that used to be delegated to more than 24 judicial and administrative bodies.
In this framework, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is organizing a workshop “Activating the asset and interest declarations system, in line with the new law and previous experiences”. The workshop will be held on 26 September 2023, in cooperation with UNDP’s Anti-Corruption for Trust in Lebanon project, that is being implemented with the support of the European Union (EU) and the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark, and UNDP’s Anti-Corruption and Integrity in the Arab Countries project that is being implemented with the support of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
The workshop aims to review the developments brought about by Law No. 189/2020 compared to the previous legal framework, in order to establish a common understanding of the asset and interest declarations system in line with international best practices and comparative experiences. In addition to showing the progress achieved in implementing the asset and interest declarations system by the institutions that were entrusted with receiving, storing and managing declarations prior to the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The workshop will also tap into the technical requirements towards the activation of the subject system and the coordination mechanisms between all concerned parties.