CAIRO, Dec 18 (NNN-MENA) – The United Nations (UN) anti-corruption conference concluded yesterday, in Egypt’s city of Sharm El-Sheikh, with a declaration on fighting corruption in times of crisis, adopted.
The ninth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption, adopted the Sharm El-Sheikh Declaration, as well as, seven other resolutions and an agreement on the host country, for the tenth session of the conference.
The Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration, underscoring the increased risks of corruption, presented by urgent economic and health relief spending, called for States parties to collect best practices and challenges, with the aim of developing guidelines, to strengthen cooperation to prevent, identify, investigate and prosecute corruption, during times of emergencies, crisis response and recovery.
“The Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration will inform our recovery from the pandemic with integrity, and help countries ready for the emergencies of tomorrow,” said the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Ghada Waly, in her closing remarks.
The work to develop the guidelines will be taken forward by the open-ended intergovernmental expert meeting, to enhance international cooperation under the convention, according to the statement.
Other resolutions adopted at the session addressed key issues, such as beneficial ownership in asset recovery, regional and international cooperation, and education and youth empowerment. A resolution to follow up on the political declaration from the first-ever UN General Assembly special session against corruption in June, was also adopted.
In addition, the states parties agreed on a decision for the United States to host the tenth session of the conference in 2023.
Over 2,000 participants from governments, regional and intergovernmental organisations, civil society, academia, and the private sector from more than 150 countries, signed up to take part in person and virtually in the week-long session in Sharm El-Sheikh.
More than 70 side events were organised on the margins of the session, featuring panels on issues of corruption and gender, healthcare, COVID-19, sports, education, and youth.
