The 2023 Annual Report of the Basel Institute on Governance features seven stories from our work around the world to promote good governance and counter corruption. They illustrate not just what we do, but how we work to achieve real and lasting progress towards a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.

The stories showcase different ways in which we collaborate with partners worldwide to advance knowledge, practice and policy on anti-corruption, asset recovery and business integrity:

• Anti-corruption: About more than corruption
• Strengthening the toolbox for asset recovery
• Fostering regional coalitions against corruption
• Closing the global enterprise of money laundering and terrorist financing
• Shifting the narrative on anti-corruption
• Catalysing asset recovery cooperation
• Tech-powered learning

As our President Peter Maurer notes in the foreword, the preparations for this year’s annual report were overshadowed by the tragic news that Gretta Fenner, Managing Director for nearly two decades, had passed away in a car accident in Kenya.

While we continue to be deeply saddened by the loss, we also know that Gretta was immensely proud of the Basel Institute’s achievements in 2023, as well as of the progress made over the Institute’s 20 years of existence. That 20-year history – a large part of her legacy – is also showcased in a special feature on page 30.

As the foreword also notes, the trust and partnership of our donors and collaborators are vital in order for us to make progress in often turbulent and unpredictable political contexts. We are deeply grateful to those who support our ultimate goal of fighting corruption for a better world, who trust our way of working and who are willing to invest for long-term success.