On April 14-15, 2025, the Intergovernmental Meeting on Improving the Use of Beneficial Ownership Information for Effective Asset Recovery, organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), took place in Vienna.

The event was attended by representatives of international asset recovery networks, anti-corruption authorities, asset recovery offices, state registries of legal entities and beneficial owners, as well as representatives of law firms and international organizations.

The Ukrainian delegation at the event included representatives of the ARMA, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption. In particular, the position of the National Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) was presented by: Daryna Pavliuk - Department of Finding, Tracing and Recovery of Assets in Foreign Jurisdictions, and MykytaDronov - Department of International Cooperation and European Integration.

The main topic of the meeting was the importance of transparency of beneficial ownership in preventing and combating corruption, as well as in ensuring effective finding, seizure and recovery of assets. The discussions were held in the format of panel sessions and working groups, which allowed the participants to exchange practical experience, challenges and best practices.

During the event, ARMA representatives presented the Ukrainian experience in regulating national registers of legal entities and beneficial owners. Particular attention was paid to the legislative instruments enabling the National Agency to effectively use this information in asset tracing, in particular in foreign jurisdictions.

In addition, ARMA experts presented practical cases in which information on beneficial owners played a key role in establishing the location of assets. Particular attention was paid to the case of the search and seizure of the yacht “Royal Romance”, as well as the actions taken by ARMA to realize this asset.

The participation of ARMA in the intergovernmental meeting was a significant contribution to strengthening international cooperation in the field of asset recovery. The experience presented by Ukraine confirmed the effectiveness of combining legislative mechanisms with practical tools of analysis and interaction, which allows for real results in the identification and recovery of assets related to corruption offenses.