The webinar on Mapping the role of audit institutions in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16) was successfully held (01.03.2022).
More than 180 professionals of the public and private sector had the opportunity to attend the webinar organised by the NTA on the topic: “Mapping the role of audit institutions in the implementation of SDG 17” in order to inform and raise awareness among the public sector professionals, as well as the society, regarding the 16 Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in particular SDG 16 on “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions” which is directly related to the Authority’s role and mission.
The discussion was moderated by the journalist (SKAI Radio and Television), Ms. Katerina Drakou.
The Secretary-General for Coordination of the Government, Mr. Thanasis Kontogeorgis presented the main pillars of government policies and their link to the 17 SDGs, in view of the upcoming submission of the Greek Voluntary Assessment Report, in relation to the “Agenda 2030” for Sustainable Development to the United Nations High-Level Political Forum. Referring to the way in which the General Secretariat for Coordination is elaborating the Report, Mr. Kontogeorgis noted that in April 2022 the content of the Report will be finalized after a consultation, the conclusions of which will be included in the text. The Report will be presented to the United Nations in July 2022. It will be mainly the 2018-2021 period, but will also include key programmatic planning.
Mr. Charalambos Vourliotis, President of Anti-Money Laundering Authority in Greece (AMLA), referring to the good practices of the "Authority" in relation to Goal-16 "Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions", among others, spoke about the ability of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to order the blocking of accounts, securities, financial products or the opening of safe deposit boxes or the prohibition of transfer or sale of any other assets, under the terms and conditions provided for in paragraphs 1 to 3 of Article 42 of Law No.4557/2018, deprives criminal organisations of the resources to continue their activities, recruit new members and ultimately removes the motivation for their criminal behavior. The criminal product is seized and delivered intact to Justice, which has the final say.
Mr. Dimitrios Loukopoulos, Police Director, Head of the Economic Police Division presented the actions of the Economic Police Division, and its operational priorities linked to the 17 Global Sustainable Development Goals, analyzing the more specific actions serving Goal 16 "Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions", through an illustrative presentation of cases of corruption and money laundering as well as actions serving Goals 3 "Good health and well-being" and 8 "Decent work and economic development" by providing statistics on cases of tobacco and alcohol smuggling and social security protection.
Mr. Charalambos Platias, Professor in Panteion University of Social & Political Sciences, Department of International, European and Regional Studies, referring to Goal 16 "Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions", stressed that it is a very complex goal, which concerns many different aspects of human society and development. The solutions should be sought in a broader context, concerning fundamental conditions and choices for development. As he said "The University has an important role in producing and organizing knowledge on issues, in supporting policy and governance, and in educating citizens. As a university of social and political sciences, Panteion University is at the forefront of this effort."
The Governor of NTA, Mr. Angelos Binis, referred to the Sustainable Development Goals saying that "they aim to change the way we see and think about the system of governance, not only in public sector institutions. We need to emphasise performance and the adoption of internal control systems and risk management, we need to strengthen our professional networks and develop the capacities of public organisations and management professionals with new skills and methodologies. Mr. Binis referred, among others, to the actions and initiatives of the Authority that focus on creating effective public organizations with emphasis on strengthening accountability and integrity mechanisms.
During the discussion, an electronic voting was conducted through the online application "Mentimeter" with the results fueling an interesting exchange of views among the speakers.
You can follow the workshop at the link below: