The primary objective of the Forum was to start a process that would develop in part into a regional network on the issue of asset recovery, through periodic meetings and other activities. This network would also provide a repository of information, contacts and good practices on asset recovery specific to the countries of the Deauville Partnership with Arab Countries in Transition. The objectives of this first meeting of the Forum were to:
- identify and communicate the needs for country-specific capacity building, with clear and easy to monitor commitments.
- provide regional training to practitioners engaged in tracing, freezing, and recovering the proceeds of corruption.
- encourage G8, Partner and Regional countries to introduce policy changes and legislative/institutional changes needed to facilitate effective asset recovery.
- provide a platform for potential bilateral and multilateral side-meetings between the countries seeking asset recovery and the various G8, Partner and Regional countries.
Underpinning and informing these objectives were both (a) the progress and challenges encountered by both requesting and requested countries in pursuing the recovery of assets and (b) the progress made in the implementation of the Deauville Partnership Action Plan on Asset Recovery.
Countries further decided to utilize the platform provided by the Forum to engage in side meetings to discuss individual cases on the margins of the Forum.