Illicit Financial Flows from Africa
The team’s modelling was used for the landmark report of the High-Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows, commissioned by the Economic Commission for Africa. This report is often called the Mbeki Report, after the president of the panel. The Mbeki report catalysed a continent-wide movement to tackle Illicit Financial Flows.
The next iteration of the teams modelling was used to show the impact on child mortality by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development team in their 2020 report Tackling Illicit Financial Flows for Sustainable Development in Africa.
These interventions led to a call by the African Finance ministers in May 2022 which heralded the passing by consensus of a UN resolution at the end of 2022 that gives the Secretary General of the UN the mandate to publish a report on options for international tax; it signalled the start of an intergovernmental discussion on taxation at the UN General Assembly. The secretary-general called for inputs to this report. GRADE modelling was used in a submission by the global advocacy organisation, the Tax Justice Network and the Universities of St Andrews and Leicester.
