Workshop: Statistical methodologies to measure illicit financial flows

Illicit financial flows (IFFs) threaten countries’ ability to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Policy action to curb IFFs requires better data and better understanding of IFFs. As an illicit phenomenon, IFFs are not easy to track or measure. National statistical authorities have an important role in measuring IFFs in line with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. The event is organised by UNECA, jointly with UNCTAD and UNODC, custodians of SDG indicator 16.4.1 on IFFs.

The online workshop will introduce the newly released UNCTAD-UNODC Conceptual Framework (2020) and UNCTAD Methodological Guidelines to Measure Tax and Commercial IFFs (upcoming in 2021). African countries will be invited to express their interest in joining the pilot testing of the methods.

Successful measurement of IFFs requires collaboration across disciplines as illicit phenomena cut across society and data remain highly scattered. Therefore, the relevant government agencies and Ministries, and especially the National Statistical Office, Customs and Revenue Office, Tax authority, Central Banks and Financial Intelligence Centers are invited to participate in the online workshop. The project seeks to empower the United Nations Member States to estimate IFFs in line with national priorities by supporting the statistical system to acquire the technical knowledge to launch the statistical measurement of IFFs.

More information on the project can be found here. French documents will be added as they become available.