MUSCAT, SEPT 9 - Fight against corruption requires consistent follow-up and knowledge at regional and international levels on the latest law and procedures. This view was expressed by Shaikh Nasser bin Hilal al Mawali, Chairman of State Audit Institution (SAI), during the fifth meeting of the agencies responsible for promoting integrity and combating corruption in the GCC held on Monday. Shaikh Al Mawali opened the meeting at the headquarters of the Advisory Board of the Supreme Council of the GCC.
The objective of the meeting was to lay foundations for transparency and integrity in order to channel resources to serve sustainable development plans in the region. Abdullatif bin Rashid al Zayani, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and other delegates attended the meeting. Shaikh Al Mawali stressed on the keen efforts exerted by GCC states to promote integrity and fight corruption, guided by religious values and GCC leaders’ wise vision.
“The establishment of the commission of chairmen of agencies responsible for promotion of integrity and anti-corruption demonstrates the significance of cooperation between the GCC states on matters of mutual concern,” he said. He assured the importance of exchanging knowledge as a vital tool that can significantly contribute in building efficient professional capabilities and promoting institutional performance. Shaikh Al Mawali emphasised on the diligence shown by the Sultanate in ensuring effective collaboration in coordination with the efforts of the GCC member states to realise the desired level of integrity protection and fighting corruption.
Al Zayani expressed his deepest gratitude to the Sultanate for hosting the meeting and to SAI for their hospitality, the preparation and organisation. The meeting’s agenda covered a number of key matters, mainly deliberation on a draft referential law on the protection of public funds in the GCC region, and the GCC agreement to promote integrity and anti-corruption, and the preparation of procedural manuals. A paper on developing the future GCC cooperation fundamentals to protect the integrity and promote anti-corruption was presented during the meeting.
Further, different proposals for preparing GCC manuals in the fields concerned with integrity promotion were tabled. The meeting also reviewed the recommendations of the GCC workshop that examined international experiences with regards to measuring transparency and integrity, and the resulting impact on public policies concerned with combating corruption. Moreover, officials reviewed the Professional Code of Conduct of the agencies, and the items relevant to preparing a text on transparency and integrity that are to be included in the annual report that will be issued by the Secretariat General highlighting the human rights situation in the GCC region.
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