DEHRADUN: The three-day meeting of the Anti-corruption Working Group (ACWG) under the G20 India Presidency concluded on Saturday at the Tehri, Uttarakhand.
There have been intensive and productive deliberations on several key focal areas pertaining to asset recovery, fugitive economic offenders, formal and informal channels of cooperation for information sharing, institutional frameworks for combating corruption and mutual legal assistance among others, the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said.
The meeting which began in Narendranagar (Tehri Garhwal) inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Defence and Tourism Ajay Bhatt on May 25 was attended by over 90 delegates from 20 member countries, 10 invited countries and nine international organisations.
The meeting had wide participation including UNODC, OECD, Egmont Group, Interpol and IMF. It was chaired by Rahul Singh, Additional Secretary, DoPT and President of G-20 ACWG and co-chaired by Giovanni Tartaglia, Co-Chair of The G-20 ACWG, Italy and Fabrizio Marcelli, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy.
On the inaugural day of the ACWG, a unique side event on 'Gender and Corruption' was held. Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi delivered the keynote address. During the event, national and international experts and practitioners deliberated on the gender aspects of corruption, the ways in which women empowerment is intrinsically linked to anti-corruption initiatives and the need for gender sensitive governance and policy making.
The delegates got a flavour of the country’s rich culture, heritage and cuisine during their stay in Rishikesh, it said, adding that India looks forward to hosting the delegates again in Kolkata during August 9-11 for the third ACWG meeting.
India will also host the first-ever in-person anti-corruption ministerial meeting to provide further impetus to the G20 agenda of bolstering the international fight against corruption, the statement said.
The first ACWG meeting was held from March 1-3 in Gurugram.
(With inputs from PTI)