Financial Transparency Coalition

Conference

The Financial Transparency Coalition, Perkumpulan Prakarsa and Transparency International Indonesia hosted Many Voices, One Purpose: The 6th Financial Transparency Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia on 20-21 October at the Sari Pan Pacific Jakarta hotel.

Download the conference agenda and list of speakers here.

View photos and download speaker presentations here.

At the 6th Financial Transparency Conference, civil society, government officials, journalists, and experts discussed illicit financial flows and their effect on Indonesia, the Asia-Pacific region and the world. In this two-day event, we collaborated, sparked debates, and explored ways to stop the illicit financial flows that are stifling our economic growth and development.

The Asia-Pacific region remains the largest contributor to gross illicit outflows, comprising over 40 percent of the total from Global South countries over the last decade. The problem isn’t unique to Indonesia, but it is severe; from 2003 to 2012, over US$18 billion left the country by way of illicit outflows, according to Global Financial Integrity. Asian civil society organizations have engaged in advocacy and research on financial transparency issues for years.

Conference speakers and participants discussed a wide array of issues in illicit financial flows, including the Financing for Development and Post-2015 processes, raising revenue in an age of tax incentives, whistleblowers and the state of press freedom after Lux Leaks and Swiss Leaks, open data and making financial information public, and what we know about gender and illicit flows.

Selected speakers include:

“Ahok” Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Governor of Jakarta
Aruna Roy, Co-Founder of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan
Antoine Deltour, Lux Leaks whistleblower
Svitlana Zalishchuk, Ukraine Parliament
Chandra Triayu, Statoil
Maryati Abdulla, National Coordinator, Publish What You Pay Indonesia
Sugeng Bahagijo, Executive Director of International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development
Francisco Beiner, Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations
Emanuel Bria, Natural Resource Governance Institute
Mae Buenaventura, Asian Peoples Movement on Debt and Development
Kristof Clerix, Reporter, MO* Magazine
Alex Cobham, Tax Justice Network
Wahyu Dhyatmika, Investigative Reporter for Tempo Magazine
Jo Marie Griesgraber, Executive Director of New Rules for Global Finance
Said Imran, Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPTAK)
Malou Mangahas, Executive Director of Philippines Center for Investigative Journalism
Anton Ragos, Action for Economic Reforms
Jean Ross, Ford Foundation
Titi Soentoro, Policy Advisor, Aksi!
Grant Wardell Johnson, KPMG
Iftekhar Zaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh

Agenda

Tuesday, 20 October

8:45 – 9:30   Registration

9:30 – 10:00 Welcoming Remarks

Keynote Address from MKSS Founder Aruna Roy

10:00 – 11:30 Plenary Session

What You Need to Know About Illicit Financial Flows, the Scale of
the Problem and What Can Be Done
We know illicit financial flows are a problem, but how big are they? What do available estimates actually mean? And what can be done to stop them? Speakers will share the latest research and revelations on illicit flows and innovative new measures for cracking down on them.

Presentations: Alex Cobham, Joseph Stead

11:30 – 11:45 Coffee/Tea

11:45 – 12:45 Breakout Sessions

Gender and the Global Financial System: What Do We Know?
What is the impact of gender on illicit financial flows and the global financial system? We know that when governments are lacking revenue, women, youth, and other marginalized groups disproportionately suffer the consequences. Why is that? Gender is a factor along the entire illicit financial flows chain – from extracting the money to moving the money, to the impact of the loss of the money. During this interactive session, participants will take a fresh look at this link and outline potential gender-differentiated approaches to addressing various aspects of illicit flows.

Presentations: Titi Soentoro, Patita Tingoi

Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together: Uniting the Extractives, Budget and Tax Communities for Greater Impact
Transparency and accountability watchdogs have focused on holding governments accountable for how budgets are spent, but these efforts are not typically part of a larger narrative that includes looking at how that revenue is raised. Similarly, extractives transparency and tax justice organizations do not always link these revenues to responsible and equitable budget monitoring, and tax is often seen as a technical issue that is inaccessible by the public. Raising and spending public funds both have a very real impact on ordinary citizens’ lives and on improving public services. We hope to bring together diverse groups to ensure these conversations do not continue in silos, and to strengthen the broader movement for financial transparency.

12:45 – 14:00 Lunch

14:00 – 15:30 Plenary Session

Anonymous Companies Revealed: An Update on the Growing Momentum behind Beneficial Ownership Transparency
Beneficial owners – the individual(s) who ultimately control or profit from a company – are able to hide their identity behind anonymous or phantom companies and banking secrecy laws. Hidden company ownership contributes largely to the nearly $1 trillion that leaves developing countries illicitly every year. It allows tax evaders, criminals, and corrupt officials to move money undetected, often into banks in the U.S. and Europe. Recently, an increasing number of countries have committed to registers of beneficial ownership. Speakers will discuss commitments from the UK, Ukraine, Denmark and elsewhere, and review where G20 countries stand on leaders’ commitment to beneficial ownership principles last year in Brisbane.

Presentations: Dedi Haryadi, Svitlana Zalishchuk

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee/Tea

16:00 – 17:30 Plenary Session

How Lux Leaks and Swiss Leaks Changed the Game: Journalism, Whistleblowers, and Freedom of Information Laws
Because basic information isn’t publicly available, journalists working with whistleblowers have played a pivotal role in investigating illicit financial flows. But their efforts are increasingly under attack by regressive freedom of information laws and the persecution of whistleblowers. Meanwhile, corporations are pushing back on new transparency measures with arguments about confidentiality and commercial sensitivity. Speakers will share their experiences with recent high profile leaks, efforts to make information public, and press freedoms.

Presentations: Wahyu Dhyatmika, Kristof Clerix, Iftekhar Zaman, Malou Mangahas

17:30 – 19:00 Break

19:00 – 22:00 Dinner

Wednesday, October 21st

9:00 – 9:30 Registration

9:30 – 11:00 Plenary Session

Raising Revenue in an Age of Tax Incentives
Domestic resource mobilization has become key to ensuring that developing countries have sustainable revenue streams to invest in the drivers of development, like roads, schools, and healthcare. But tax amnesties, incentives, and special tax rulings are standing in the way, making it harder to establish predictable and sustainable tax bases. Speakers will share their experiences tracking presidential candidates’ tax information in Indonesia, a recent tax amnesty in the United States, cracking down on “black money” in India, and explore the benefits of cooperation over competition when working to boost domestic resources.

Presentations: Francisco Beiner

11:00 – 11:30 Keynote Address from “Ahok” Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Governor of Jakarta

11:30 – 12:00 Coffee/Tea

12:00 – 13:00 Breakout Sessions

Are we ready to go public? Lessons from the Open Data Community
Governments are committing to public registries of beneficial owners and companies are agreeing to break out their annual reports by country, but what form should the information take so civil society can access it easily and find out if there are dirty deeds afoot? Taking as a starting point the recent International Open Data Charter, the Open Data and Financial Transparency communities will come together for a work session to craft a shared agenda.

Countering Illicit Financial Flows in the Extractives Industries: Accountability, Transparency, and Access to Information
Weak institutions, opacity, and lack of accountability has turned resource wealth from opportunity to curse in many countries. Increasing transparency and access to information in the extractives industries would empower citizens and governments in their efforts to counter illicit financial flows and boost domestic resource mobilization. Speakers in this session will discuss information-driven solutions to fight corruption and increase accountability in the extractives sectors, such as country-by-country reporting and making links with the open data movement.

Presentations: Chandra Triayu, Emanuel Bria

13:00 – 14:30 Lunch

14:30 – 16:00 Plenary Session

Making the Rules of the Global Financial System: A Whole New World or the Same Old Game?
What are the challenges ahead for curbing illicit financial flows and making the global financial system work for everyone? This year has witnessed a number of high profile efforts to set new rules for the global economy, among them the Third Financing for Development Conference and the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda, the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa, and the OECD’s various new tax standards. Speakers will discuss who makes the financial rules and whether a new and more inclusive regime is necessary to combat elusive illicit cash.

16:00 – 16:30 Closing Reflections

16:30 Side Meetings with Coffee/Tea Available

19:00 Dinner

Press Inquiries
For press inquiries please contact:

Christian Freymeyer
Press & Digital Media Coordinator
Financial Transparency Coalition
cfreymeyer@financialtransparency.org
+1 202 232 3317