MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the State Audit Institution (SAI), chaired the 9th meeting of the GCC Anti-Corruption Ministerial Committee, which was held at Al Bustan Palace Hotel in Muscat yesterday, in the presence of the GCC Secretary General.
The meeting discussed the joint manuals in the field of integrity and anti-corruption, namely the Financial Declaration Manual, the Manual of Disclosure and Making Media Content available to the authorities and institutions responsible for promoting integrity and combating corruption in the GCC states.
Furthermore, the proposed topics pertaining to the 2024 annual event were also reviewed during the meeting.
In addition, the meeting addressed the strategic manual for coordination and cooperation between the GCC authorities, institutions and ministerial committees.
It also reviewed updates of the GCC accession as a regional organisation to the United Nations Convention against Corruption. The agenda also included a review of the joint Gulf programme for awareness in the field of education, prepared by SAI in light of the proposals submitted by the member SAIs and guided by the regional and international experiences.
The agenda discussed the action plan to activate cooperation and coordination between the departments of cooperation and international relations of the GCC Anti-Corruption institutions and authorities. It also reviewed the topic of supporting the Draft Resolution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the measurement of corruption, which will be submitted to the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
Shaikh Ghuson bin Hilal al Alawi (pictured), SAI Chairman, pointed out that integrity and anti-corruption are amongst the main pillars in achieving sustainable development goals and building confidence between various institutions of the state and the community.
Thus, the great attention devoted by the member states towards this aspect can be clearly seen, as they follow the values of the Islamic religion and the national legislations in line with the relevant agreements at the regional and international levels to reflect the principles of transparency, integrity, justice and supremacy of law.
He emphasised the Committee’s interest in areas related to the exchange of expertise and experiences, as the experience gained by member SAIs through their internal activities and practices, as well as their joint programmes with peer institutions and specialised professional organisations, is a cornerstone in implementing the competencies and achieving the goals efficiently and effectively.
Al Alawi further stressed the utmost care devoted by the Committee towards providing necessary support and empowerment to reach the highest level of knowledge transfer and experience sharing through various activities.
Jassim Mohammed al Budaiwi,GCC Secretary-General, stressed the keenness of the Secretariat General to support the efforts of the member SAIs in the areas of joint action, in order to enhance their national roles in raising the efficiency of resource use.
This step reflects the wise vision of the GCC leaders, by laying the foundations of transparency, integrity, principles of justice and the rule of law. — ONA
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