Background

Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 43/10, the United Nations Independent Expert on foreign debt, other international financial obligations and human rights, Ms Attiya Waris will undertake a country visit to the Principality of Liechtenstein in 19 to 26 June 2023 at the invitation of their Government. Her visit will focus, in accordance with her mandate, on a wide range of issues related to illicit financial flows, fiscal affairs, debt and their implications on human rights. A report summarizing the visit and including recommendations will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2024.

Ms Attiya Waris was appointed Independent Expert on foreign debt, other international financial obligations and human rights by the Human Rights Council in its 46th session. She took her position on 1 August 2021.

As all Special Procedures, the Independent Expert is mandated to undertake country visits. This visit will allow Ms. Waris to assess the human rights situation from the perspective of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations. She aims to acquire on-site knowledge on the issues related to her mandate and provide insights and recommendations to the Government and other stakeholders.

The Independent Expert invites all stakeholders to provide views, documentation, analysis and relevant information to inform the preparation of her visit to the Principality of Liechtenstein. In particular, she invites academics, non-governmental organizations and networks, trade unions, think tanks, international financial institutions and UN entities, as well as individuals, to provide inputs.
Contributions should be concise and address the specific issues of the mandate of the Independent Expert, such as:

Questions

General

• Human rights impact of economic and financial policies in Liechtenstein;
• Extra-territorial human rights impact of economic and financial policies, in particular on people in situation of poverty, vulnerability and marginalization.

Reforms on Fiscal Affairs, Banking and Finance

• Information and impact analysis related to the international taxation reforms (Two Pillar solution: Pillar I and Pillar II, UN global tax convention);
• Information on initiatives tackling illicit financial flows, offshore and undeclared wealth or assets in established sectors like banking, investment, financial, asset and wealth management sectors and emerging sectors in the country;
• Information on cross-border cooperation on detecting crimes through financial intelligence, asset recovery, and other such initiatives: 
  - Financial Sector Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking;
  - Green Corruption programmes that evaluate environmental crimes including mining, waste trafficking and forestry.

Transparency Initiatives

• Information on financial transparency (automatic exchange of information, beneficial ownership, country-by-country reporting), anti-money laundering/ corruption and anti-tax avoidance laws, accountancy and public participation (freedom of information requests, access to remedy, labour laws etc.);
• Issues related to illicit financial flows, national tax structure (including any tax incentives/ exemptions provided to corporates, sectors), accountability and transparency mechanisms in this domain (access to information on financial and fiscal issues with relevant disaggregation and, when possible, periodicity).

Other

• Please provide any other information, documents or background materials that may be relevant for the mandate.

Treatment of responses

All responses will be posted on the official webpage of the Independent Expert unless indicated otherwise. Inputs/comments may be sent by e-mail.