Intervention by H.E. Ambassador OSUGA Takeshi, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, at the High-level Meeting “AU Silencing the Guns Initiative - The Role of Illicit Financial Flows in Fueling Instability in Africa”

2020/12/10
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Dear Colleagues,
 
I thank the Special Advisor Madame Duarte and the Missions of AU, Nigeria and South Africa for organizing this important meeting.
 
As all the previous speakers stressed, we must work together to plug the wasteful and harmful drain of vital revenues from Africa and reinvest them for the COVID-19 response, for building back better and for other human security objectives.
 
In tackling this multidimensional issue in the spirit of a shared responsibility among the developed and developing countries, we need to be clear on our common strategic directions and priorities. I wish to make three points in this regard.
 
First, we must implement global and regional legal instruments, including the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the African Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, as well as the relevant Security Council resolutions, in a more strict and coherent manner.
 
Second, we must strengthen capabilities of relevant national institutions, including judicial, administrative and legislative systems as well as legal and regulatory frameworks. Japan supports those locally-owned efforts for capacity and institution building through technical assistance and trainings under the New Approach for Peace and Stability in Africa or “NAPSA” initiative announced during TICAD7 held last year in Yokohama.
 
Third, we stand ready to support African-led initiatives aimed at monitoring and helping counties address IFFs. The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), along with AUDA/NEPAD, might potentially play a greater role in this respect, as recommended by the high-level panel report by the AU/UNECA in March this year.
 
In conclusion, let me reiterate Japan’s unwavering support in this field. The UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols continue to be one of the most important basis for international cooperation in combating organized crimes. The fourteenth UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will take place in Kyoto in March 2021 under a virtual and in person hybrid format. We look forward to see widest possible African participation to the Kyoto Congress.
 
Thank you.