Kuwait's Nazaha stresses importance of participating in UN anti-corruption conf.

DOHA, Dec 18 (KUNA) -- The Assistant Secretary General for Prevention at Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha), Engineer Abrar Al-Hammad, stressed on Thursday the importance of participating in the 11th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (CoSP11), held in the Qatari capital, Doha, from December 15 to 19.
In a statement to KUNA, Al-Hamad said that the Authority participated in the conference with a high-level delegation headed by Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim, Chairman of the Authority, who delivered a speech on the first day of the conference.
In his address, Al-Ibrahim highlighted the importance of focusing on examining and studying methods and measures for assessing corruption risks, mechanisms for measuring perceptions of corruption and its causes, analyzing its trends, and exploring the practical links and shared penal connections between corruption and its patterns of commission.
Meanwhile, Al-Hammad added that she participated on Thursday in a session titled "Promoting Integrity and Accountability in Public Institutions" as part of the conference activities, during which she emphasized that work ethics in institutions are no longer merely ideals, but have become essential requirements to ensure integrity, justice, and transparency.
She explained that she reviewed the experience of Kuwait through Nazaha, noting that the Authority conducted a study and analysis of the provisions of the Code of Conduct adopted in Kuwait.
This was accompanied by interactive workshops with employees from 70 entities, during which discussions were held on the Code, their observations were recorded, and gaps within the Code were identified and studied.
She noted that among the challenges and problems highlighted during the session was the language in which the Code of Conduct was written, as it was purely legal in nature, making it difficult for the average employee to understand.
In addition, employees had no input regarding the laws cited within the Code, and there were no deterrent penalties included for violations. To address these challenges and enhance the applicability of the Code of Conduct, the Authority established a project titled "Adaa." Al-Hammad stated that the delegation participated in several side events of the conference, including a session titled "Transforming National Anti-Corruption Strategies into Practical Implementation," during which the experience of the "Kuwait Strategy for Enhancing Integrity and Combating Corruption" project was discussed, along with the progress achieved. This project recently resulted in Kuwait receiving the Arab Government Excellence Award in the category of "Best Arab Initiative for Developing Government Work," presented under the patronage of the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Arab League.
She added that the Nazaha delegation also participated as a speaker in a session titled "Beneficial Ownership: From Hidden Data to Shared Information," organized by the GlobE Network. During the session, Nazaha shared its experience in preparing a guide to practices and measures for identifying beneficial ownership for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The guide focuses on mechanisms for uncovering beneficial ownership in companies and legal entities as an effective tool to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
Al-Hammad expressed her appreciation to Qatar for hosting the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (CoSP11). She noted that Kuwait had participated in drafting the convention through specialized working groups and was among the first countries to ratify it in 2003. She also extended her gratitude to Qatar, its leadership, government, and people, for their generous hospitality and excellent organization and reception. (end) sss.onm