January 19th 2015

The Chairperson
24th AU Heads of States Summit
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia

Your Excellency,
RE: JOINT AFRICAN CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT ON ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS
TO THE AFRICAN UNION HEADS OF STATES AND GOVERNMENT
We write to you and the African Union Heads of State and Government on behalf of the
undersigned coalitions of African civil society organisations and networks represented
across the African continent.
Please deliver on our behalf the following message to our leaders, the AU Heads of State.
We welcome and commend the African Union Heads of State and Government for the
commitment shown over the last couple of years to tackle Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) from
Africa. This commitment has been demonstrated by Resolution 896 (XLV) ) on Illicit
Financial Flows adopted at the Fourth Joint Annual Meetings of the African Union
Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and the Economic Commission for Africa
Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, providing for
action to be taken to address the problem of such flows.
The presentation of the report of the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa at
this years January Summit by H.E. Former President of South Africa and Chair of the Panel,
Thabo Mbeki, comes at a time when irrefutable evidence has emerged to show that for
decades Africa has been robbed of its resources. According to the Global Financial Integrity
(GFI) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), Africa is losing more than US$50 billion
annually through Illicit Financial Outflows.
In this regard as African civil society:

We commend the AU Heads of State and the AU Ministers of Finance for

initiating, supporting and facilitating the work of the High Level Panel on Illicit
Financial Flows from Africa headed by H.E. Mbeki. We welcome and look
forward to the launch of the Panels final report at the 24th Heads of State
Summit.

We commend the role that the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
(UNECA) has played in facilitating and providing the necessary technical
backstopping to the High Level Panel.

We commend the High Level Panel for its work including consulting with
different stakeholders such as governments, civil society organizations, the
private sector and regional and international organizations in the process of
coming up with its progress reports and the forthcoming report.

Coming in the same year that Africa will host the Third Global Financing for Development
Summit, in July in Addis Ababa, the conclusion of the report by the High Level Panel
provides an opportunity for African governments, civil society and citizens to join hands in
demanding and ensuring progressive reforms in the post-2015 development financing
architecture, on the basis of a global framework that enables enhanced domestic resource
mobilization, clamping down on corporate tax malpractice and putting an end to illicit
outflows of resources from the continent.
It is against this background that civil society in Africa have come together to take a stand
against the continued plundering of Africas resources and call upon our leaders to seriously
consider the following recommendations as next steps aimed at ensuring that the work of the
Panel translates into meaningful results and achievements towards tackling illicit financial
flows on the continent.
Recommendations
We call upon:
1. The AU Heads of State and Government to adopt the recommendations
contained in the High Level Panel report;
2. The AU Heads of State and Government to provide the necessary leadership by
putting in place the adequate institutional and political mechanisms to ensure
that African governments have a clear vision and roadmap for the
implementation of key recommendations aimed at tackling IFFs.
3. The AU Heads of State and Government to support the work and strengthen
African institutions working on tackling Illicit Financial Flows at regional and
national levels such as the African Tax Administrators Forum (ATAF) and
Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
4. The AU Heads of State and Government to extend the mandate and fully
resource the Mbeki-led High Level Panel to serve either as a standing
committee or an AU agency that will oversee and monitor the implementation
of the recommendations of the Panels report. Further, such a structure must
ensure and protect the role for civil society and citizens in any mechanism for
the implementation of the HLPs report recommendations.
5. The AU Heads of State and Government at this summit to send a clear and firm
message to the international community and call for cooperation in closing the
leaks, as finding a solution to these challenges requires international
cooperation and leadership to support Africa and not undermine the
continents efforts.

6. The AU Heads of State and Government to proactively develop and adopt a

common African position and articulate a vision for linking the HLP report on
IFF within the broad Financing for Development (FfD) agenda. This would serve
as a basis for African countries engagement in the FfD process.

This statement and the recommendations herein have been endorsed by the following
civil society organizations and movements:

Centre Rgional Africain pour le Dveloppement Endogne et Communautaire

(CRADEC) - Cameroun

A
D

Ghana Integrity Initiative