The UAE has submitted a draft political declaration aimed at preventing and combating corruption and enhancing international cooperation to the United Nations, during a special session focused on law enforcement, criminalization, and international collaboration. The delegation representing the UAE at this session was led by Harib Al Amimi, President of the Federal Audit Authority of the UAE and Chair of the eighth session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the special session commenced on Wednesday and will continue until June 4 at the UN headquarters in New York. In his capacity as the current chair of the conference, Al Amimi presented to the UN General Assembly the draft political declaration concerning the challenges and measures to prevent and combat corruption and enhance international cooperation.
The draft declaration reflects the outcomes reached during the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, facilitated through dialogue and discussion sessions held for this purpose. The discussions focused on law enforcement issues, criminalization, international cooperation, asset recovery, and the role of the private sector in supporting anti-corruption efforts, as well as measures to combat impunity. Furthermore, it emphasized utilizing education and technology in the prevention and combat of corruption effectively.
In his speech before the UN General Assembly, Harib Al Amimi highlighted the comprehensive nature of the preparatory process for issuing the political declaration, along with the contributions from member states, including intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, academic institutions, the private sector, and various UN bodies.
He noted that during its eighth session held in Abu Dhabi in December 2019, the Conference of States Parties adopted a record number of 14 resolutions, the most significant of which was the adoption of the Abu Dhabi Declaration on enhancing cooperation between supreme audit institutions and anti-corruption agencies to more effectively prevent and combat corruption.
Al Amimi underscored the important role played by the UAE during its presidency of the Conference of States Parties and its participation in leading international negotiations alongside Peru, which facilitated consultations among member states resulting in the consensus on the draft political declaration. This reiterates the political leadership's interest in the issue of combating corruption and its ongoing commitment to supporting international and regional efforts in this regard.
Additionally, he mentioned that the UAE has recently allocated $5.4 million to support the work of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, aimed at implementing the Abu Dhabi Declaration globally and regionally over the next three years, focusing on enhancing the role of supreme audit institutions in preventing and combating corruption and promoting cooperation among monitoring authorities and anti-corruption agencies.
