Qatar Hosts Arab Anti Corruption Conference September

The Administrative Control and Transparency Authority announced today that the sixth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Arab Convention against Corruption will be held in Doha from 21 to 23 September, under the chairmanship of His Excellency Mr Hamad bin Nasser Al Misnad, President of the Authority.

Mr Abdulwahab Al Kuwari, the Authority's official spokesperson, stressed at a press conference today the importance of the conference in strengthening joint Arab cooperation in preventing and combating corruption.

He said that holding the session in Doha represents an important milestone in the course of joint Arab action in preventing and combating corruption. It reflects Arab countries' commitment to continuing to strengthen integrity and transparency systems, uphold the rule of law, develop cooperation mechanisms and exchange expertise in this field.

He explained that the session builds on the efforts of previous sessions, which contributed to developing the institutional and technical framework for implementing the Convention, strengthening coordination among States Parties, and discussing several issues related to combating corruption, including capacity-building, asset recovery, the exchange of experiences and practices, and the development of mechanisms for monitoring implementation of the Convention.

He said the programme includes an accompanying forum addressing a number of contemporary topics related to strengthening integrity and preventing corruption, such as the impact of codes of conduct on public-sector integrity, the role of artificial intelligence in supporting corruption-prevention efforts, and the role of parliamentary councils and anti-corruption bodies in supporting integrity systems and strengthening cooperation among them.

He added that these topics are particularly important in light of the rapid developments in institutional, legislative and technological work and the need they create to develop corruption-prevention tools and enhance the effectiveness of integrity and transparency institutions.

Al Kuwari stressed that hosting the conference reflects Qatar's belief in the importance of consolidating Arab cooperation and supporting joint efforts to improve integrity and transparency practices and exchange expertise and experiences. This serves the Convention's objectives and strengthens the effectiveness of its implementation and its ability to respond to emerging challenges. He expressed hope that the sixth session would produce outcomes supporting joint Arab action and national efforts by States Parties, achieving greater integration and coordination in preventing and combating corruption.

He noted that the sixth session is taking place at a time when the need for stronger Arab cooperation in preventing and combating corruption is increasing, particularly as methods for concealing illicit proceeds evolve, financial and legal transactions become more complex, and money and information move rapidly across borders. He pointed out that this session builds on the achievements of the previous five sessions, with a greater focus on moving from general principles to practical implementation and measuring results.

Regarding the main files and issues that will be discussed during the conference sessions, Al Kuwari explained that the provisional agenda includes a set of important and interconnected issues. These include reviewing the measures taken to implement the decisions of the fifth session and considering the recommendations issued by meetings of the subsidiary teams responsible for implementing the Convention. The conference will also discuss developing a mechanism for reviewing implementation of the Arab Convention against Corruption to help monitor the progress made by States Parties, identify successful practices and existing challenges, and determine technical assistance needs.

The Authority's official spokesperson said the expected outcomes will focus on decisions, recommendations and a final declaration, in accordance with what the States Parties agree. He noted that implementation is monitored through several channels, including the General Secretariat's follow-up of adopted decisions and preparation of reports on measures taken to implement them, with follow-up results included on the agendas of subsequent meetings and sessions.

He explained that the main challenges facing Arab countries in this field, which the conference seeks to address, include disparities among countries in legislative frameworks and institutional and technical capacities, as well as the need to strengthen coordination among relevant national authorities and accelerate legal cooperation procedures between countries.

He said the conference seeks to address these challenges by developing a mechanism for reviewing implementation of the Convention, strengthening the exchange of expertise and successful practices, identifying countries' training and technical assistance needs, developing joint Arab tools and guides, supporting legal cooperation and accelerating responses to requests for mutual legal assistance.

The proposed projects include holding a regional expert meeting to develop a concept for a unified Arab guide on parallel financial investigations into financial corruption crimes, a project to strengthen international cooperation by accelerating responses to requests for mutual legal assistance, and a project to enhance beneficial ownership transparency and identify the real beneficiaries. This could pave the way for preparing an Arab guide in this field in the future. The approved outcomes will be announced after the formal deliberations conclude and the decisions and final statement are adopted.

Source: QNA

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