Impact and annual reports

Our impact

In 2016 we identified a critical gap in the global fight against corruption: civil society and citizens more broadly were largely absent from asset recovery efforts. The process of reclaiming stolen wealth was often taking place behind closed doors, leaving the public in the dark and providing little space for discussion on how returned funds should be used.

We launched CiFAR to bridge this gap, bringing transparency and accountability to the process and ensuring that recovered assets are returned to the people they belong to.

Today, the role of civil society organisations in asset recovery has been firmly recognized by governments and the international community. Asset recovery too has become much more transparent, accountable and victims are much more able to participate in decisions about how recovered assets are spent.

CiFAR itself has become a trusted partner for civil society and policymakers engaged in asset recovery worldwide. Working with partners, we continue to press for the highest standards in transparent, accountable and participatory asset recovery.

Global Innovation

•  We facilitated the first civil society-led global standards for transparent and accountable asset returns and led the development of further standards on asset management, anti-corruption sanctions, and victims. These four sets of standards are now widely well-known and used internationally and nationally.

• High quality and innovative knowledge generation: To date we have published over 45 research and policy papers, generating new knowledge on key asset recovery topics. From sanctions to return mechanisms, the management of returned wealth and the inclusion of victims, our expert insights and reform recommendations have become essential resources for policymakers, civil society, journalists, and academia.

• Improving international return mechanisms. In 2023 we undertook research into asset returns using third parties: international organisations, NGOs and bespoke bodies. This encompassed work we had done to develop civil society principles on accountable asset return. The has led to informed discussions at the UN and among key governments about the role of third parties, the benefits and challenges these returns bring. It has also been used by partners to engage with returns from Equatorial Guinea, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

From Policy to Practice

Advancing asset recovery reform

Our work with civil society organisations has supported over 90 organisations across 19 countries.

• Asset recovery reform in Africa through CAPAR
  In 2024 we developed a first-of-its-kind methodology to assess implementation of the Common African Position on Asset Recovery – CAPAR and supported six civil society organisations to conduct national assessments. In 2025, these assessments helped our partner in Cote d’Ivoire to establish a cooperation framework with the Financial Intelligence Unit and Asset Recovery Agency and our partner in Morocco to successfully advocate for the creation a new asset recovery agency.

• Social Reuse of assets in Angola
  In 2024, CiFAR supported Angolan civil society in forming a coalition to advocate for progress on the Dos Santos case and broader asset recovery reforms. Alongside providing training and mentoring for four key organizations, the coalition successfully pressured authorities in Angola and Portugal to issue public updates on the proceedings. The groups also investigated the social reuse of assets returned from the UK, monitoring infrastructure projects across three provinces. This resulted in the publication of the first independent monitoring report on these funds, sparking intense debate within the media and among government officials.

Journalism to Action

Our Investigate programme has supported over 150 journalists to investigate cross-border corruption and asset recovery.

• Malawi tobacco’s company
  An investigation led by our trainees in 2024 focused on the social and financial impacts of a big Malawi tobacco company. In reaction to the publication of this investigation, the Ministry of Trade and Industry called on tobacco companies to fully disclose the contract conditions to farmers before signature and urged the Competition and Fair Trading Commission, as well as the Reserve Bank of Malawi, to follow-up on cases of exploitation.

• Gambia/Senegal’s rosewood trafficking
  An investigation we supported in 2022 in Senegal and the Gambia exposed a multi-million dollar smuggling ring that fuelled both environmental destruction and armed conflict in Senegal’s Casamance region. Following the story, the deputy minister of the environment was demoted, a UN body suspended The Gambia’s commercial rosewood trade license and the Gambian government responded by implementing a total ban on all timber exports, effectively cutting off a primary funding source for regional violence.

• Endangered lake in Albania and North Macedonia
  An investigation CiFAR trainees collaborated on in 2021 exposed how systemic corruption and the personal real estate interests of municipal councillors in Albania and North Macedonia have devastated the UNESCO-protected Lake Ohrid. By bypassing mandatory environmental impact studies and violating transborder protection laws, local officials authorized hotel complexes and mining operations that caused eutrophication and habitat destruction. Following the investigation, UNESCO increased its pressure on both states to protect Lake Ohrid.

Underpinning it: CiFAR support to civil society networks

Asset recovery is about delivering justice to victims, mobilizing resources for the public good, and dismantling the roots of corruption. Civil society organizations and journalists are uniquely positioned to lead this effort. Our work has led to  significantly more civil society organizations working collectively on asset recovery than when CiFAR first began.

Strengthening civil society

Through training, resources, and support, we have empowered civil society organizations and journalists to strengthen their voices on asset recovery at global, regional, and national levels.

Stronger together

Asset recovery is a complex, cross-border phenomenon. As corrupt networks become stronger and more expansive, the only way for civil society to ensure transparency and justice is by working together across borders.

At CiFAR, we facilitate and create new networks to work more and better on asset recovery.

• Since 2021, CiFAR has co-chaired the UNCAC Coalition Working Group on Asset Recovery with Transparency International France, bringing together civil society working globally  on asset recovery.

• In 2022 CiFAR facilitated the creation a of the CAPAR CSO Network, made of 22 organizations from Africa. The Network promotes the implementation of the Common Africa Position on Asset Recovery and engages with key regional institutions in Africa working on asset recovery.

• Every two years since 2022, CiFAR has held the Global Civil Society Forum, bringing together civil society and experts globally to discuss trends and cases, and to agree joint priorities for asset recovery.

Read more

Our annual reports detail the activities and impact we had each year.

Previous years annual reports are available upon request.