A/HRC/36/52 51. The negative consequences for the affected population derived from the nonrepatriation of illicit financial flows are evident. When the population is deprived of the minimum quality standards indispensable for survival, not only the civil and political but also the economic, social and cultural rights of the population are violated. Such violations undoubtedly have a direct impact on the dignity of the citizens, whose most fundamental rights are deliberately curtailed. 52. In Tunisia, the return of the assets frozen in several countries would contribute to alleviating the effects on the population of the increasing fiscal pressure caused by the country’s deteriorating economic situation. The repatriation of the looted money to Yemen would certainly contribute to ameliorating the extreme living conditions of the population in a country with one of the lowest rates of human development. 69 Non-return hinders the realization of the right to development 53. The non-repatriation of illicit financial flows deprives countries of origin of the much-needed additional resources for public investment, jeopardizing its development prospects. Developing countries lose billions of dollars every year through illicit financial flows. In Africa, it is estimated that over the past 50 years, the continent has lost $1 trillion in illicit financial flows. This amount is equivalent to all the official development assistance received in the same time frame.70 54. Furthermore, non-repatriation of illicit financial flows creates immense human suffering and clearly undermines development. Countries lose capital for investment and revenue that could have been used to finance development programmes. These outflows pose a particularly serious concern to countries with high levels of poverty and increasing resource needs due to population growth. Reduction of official development assistance due to the global economic and financial crisis is compelling even more developing countries to look to their own resources to fund their development agendas. 71 55. Deprived of important monetary assets and of the revenues of their natural resources, developing countries are forced to reduce investment in key development sectors or to increase their debt burden in order to introduce the necessary policies at the domestic level. Lack of public policies and investment in social and economic programmes disproportionately affects the weakest sectors of the population. 56. Illicit financial flows also undermine State capacity and governance. The people and corporations behind illicit financial flows usually become involved in acts of corruption in order to transfer the proceeds of bribery and abuse of power. By preventing the proper functioning of regulatory institutions, they compromise State officials and institutions. This situation may reverse all efforts to reinforce State structures and to consolidate the rule of law. 57. Countries which are rich in natural resources and countries with inadequate or nonexistent institutional architectures particularly attract illicit financial flows. In a memorandum of understanding on the modalities for the return to Nigeria of stolen assets confiscated by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, it was acknowledged that the embezzlement of large amounts of State funds considerably reduced the resources available to the Government of Nigeria to provide social services or invest in infrastructure and economic development in order to move the country to greater 69 70 71 14 Yemen ranks 168 out of 188 countries on the Human Development Index. In 2013, 4 per cent of the population was considered by the United Nations Development Programme as suffering from multidimensional poverty. Today, food insecurity affects 70 per cent of the population as a result of the armed conflict. See H. Kodmani, “Guerre oubliée au Yémen : la famine menace”, Libération, 23 March 2017. ECA, Illicit Financial Flows: Report of the High Level Panel, p. 14. Ibid., p. 53.