The General Secretariat of the Arab League, through its Legal Affairs Department, convened the fifth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Arab Anti-Corruption Convention.
The conference was held from May 5-7, 2024, at the Arab League’s headquarters, jointly hosted by the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission and coordinated with the Saudi Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha), the chair of the fourth session.
The event was marked by participation from member states including Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, and Morocco.
Representatives from other Arab League member states, and international, and regional organizations also attended as observers. The presidency of the session was handed over from Saudi Arabia to Palestine.
The Arab Anti-Corruption Convention, ratified by the Arab Ministers of Interior and Justice on December 21, 2010, underscores the necessity of Arab cooperation in combating corruption, a phenomenon that transcends national borders.
The convention aims to enhance preventive measures, detect and prosecute corruption in all its forms, and strengthen integrity, transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.
It also encourages civic participation in preventing and combating corruption. To date, 15 Arab countries have ratified the convention.
In conjunction with the conference, the Arab Forum titled “Enhancing Efforts to Combat Corruption: Reality and Challenges” will be held on May 6, 2024, at the Ritz Carlton in Cairo.
Organized by the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission in partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the World Bank Group (WBG), the forum will feature a wide array of experts discussing key challenges and advancements in the field of anti-corruption.