Doha, December 15 (QNA) - The United Nations Conference on Anti-Corruption (UNCAC COSP11), on the first day of the 11th session of the Conference of the States Parties to UNCAC, weighed in on the comprehensive program of the current session, which convenes over 2,500 participants from governments, regional and international organizations, alongside approximately 120 official side events.
This was highlighted during a press briefing attended by Director of Public Relations and Communications at the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority (ACTA), Abdul Wahab Saleh Al Kuwari and Chief of the Implementation Section in the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch of UNODC, Shervin Majlessi.
آ  آ Al Kuwari underscored that Qatar's hosting of COSP11 reflects its steadfast commitment to promoting integrity, transparency, and good governance on both regional and global stages.
He stated that the Conference serves as the primary decision-making body responsible for overseeing the implementation of UNCAC, which counts 192 states parties, aiming to enhance international cooperation in the prevention and suppression of corruption.
The current session unites participants from governments, international and regional organizations, anti-corruption experts, private sector representatives, civil society, and youth, and will continue until Dec.19, 2025, he highlighted.
Al Kuwari further highlighted that UNCAC is the only legally binding global instrument in the field, structured around five core pillars: preventive measures, criminalization and law enforcement, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance, while also addressing multiple forms of corruption, including bribery, abuse of power, misuse of function, and corruption in the private sector.
The Conference will weigh in on progress in implementing the Convention, as well as national and global challenges in combating corruption, and includes the reference meeting for the Implementation Review Mechanism and the launch of its first phase.
آ  The program features around 120 official side events, alongside complementary initiatives, notably the 5th Anti-Corruption Academic Forum, which this year focused on cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence with participation from over 150 researchers and academics, in addition to a youth-focused event highlighting winning teams from UNODC-supervised hackathons in previous years, Al Kuwari noted.
Al Kuwari elaborated that 11 draft resolutions are currently under negotiation, preparing for adoption on the final day of the Conference. He reaffirmed Qatar's dedication to providing all necessary arrangements to ensure the success of the session, resulting in practical recommendations that reinforce integrity and transparency in alignment with Qatar National Vision 2030.
آ  آ Majlessi, for his part, expressed gratitude to Qatar for its hospitality and impeccable organization, commending the country for enabling unprecedented levels of participation.
He further noted that the Conference is witnessing record participation, including representatives from developing countries, international and regional organizations, civil society, private sector, academia, and active youth engagement, reflecting a global understanding that tackling corruption and economic crimes demands collective action.
Statistics indicate that one in five individuals interacting with public officials globally in 2024 were solicited for a bribe, depriving societies of critical resources allocated for education, healthcare, infrastructure, and development, Majlessi underlined.
He stressed that reducing corruption globally could potentially increase tax revenues by approximately USD 1 trillion, equivalent to around 1.25% of global GDP, according to IMF estimates.
آ  COSP remains the highest political forum on anti-corruption under the United Nations, and the role of States Parties is essential to ensure that UNCAC remains an effective instrument delivering concrete impact.
The Implementation Review Mechanism, established during the third session in Doha, serves as the backbone of the Convention, having identified over 10,000 challenges, and supported 146 countries in updating or establishing relevant legislation, policies, and institutions over the past 15 years.
Asset recovery is a fundamental principle of UNCAC, with international cooperation contributing to the freezing, seizure, or recovery of nearly USD17 billion linked to corruption cases, while challenges persist due to the complexity of transnational crimes.
Technological advancements, particularly artificial intelligence, play a central role in combating corruption, enabling the analysis of big data, detection of complex patterns, and tracing of illicit financial flows, and the conference's theme, "Shaping the Integrity of Tomorrow", demonstrates these transformative developments.
States Parties will negotiate resolutions establishing global anti-corruption priorities for the coming years, encompassing the next phase of the Implementation Review Mechanism, the role of AI in prevention and enforcement, enhancing the integrity of children and youth, and increasing transparency in political party financing and election campaigns.
Al Kuwari affirmed that effective implementation remains decisive in converting commitments into concrete results, noting that UNODC works with States to convert these obligations into practical reforms that protect public resources and reinforce principles of transparency, integrity, and accountability.
The Doha conference is the largest international gathering dedicated to combating corruption and economic crime, serving as the principal policy-making body under UNCAC, with this session emphasizing the role of artificial intelligence and modern technologies in addressing complex criminal patterns. (QNA)