The event was organized by the World Bank Group in cooperation with partners, including the Basel Institute on Governance, the European Law Institute, and civil society organizations. It brought together representatives of government authorities, international organizations, financial institutions, academia, and the expert community.

The symposium's main theme was Turning Illicit Gains into Development Outcomes. Participants discussed mechanisms for restoring resources lost through corruption and channeling them into development financing.

As the organizers note, substantial financial resources are diverted through corruption and frequently transferred abroad, depriving affected countries of funds that could otherwise be invested in healthcare, education, infrastructure, and other public needs. Even after such assets have been identified and confiscated, their return and subsequent use may face legal, institutional, and political challenges.

The symposium focused on three mechanisms for restoring lost resources:

• asset recovery and return – repatriating illicitly transferred assets and returning them to the countries affected by corruption;
• sharing of foreign bribery-related penalties and disgorgement of illicit profits – redirecting part of the penalties collected and illicit profits disgorged towards compensating affected countries and financing development projects;
• financial remedies imposed by multilateral development banks (MDBs) – using funds obtained through anti-corruption sanctions systems targeting companies and individuals involved in corrupt practices to restore lost resources and support development projects.

The symposium agenda also included discussions on transparency in the allocation and use of returned funds, oversight of their expenditure, civil society participation, and safeguards against renewed corruption and misuse of recovered assets.

One of the practical examples examined was Uzbekistan's experience, including the work of the Uzbekistan 2030 Vision Fund in channeling returned assets into development initiatives.

Following the event, the organizers plan to publish a Knowledge Report summarizing the research presented and proposals for improving international mechanisms for the return and use of resources lost through corruption.