Doha, Qatar: The sixth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Arab Anti-Corruption Convention concluded in Doha yesterday, with participating countries adopting a series of decisions aimed at strengthening Arab cooperation in preventing corruption, enhancing transparency and improving mechanisms for international legal assistance.
Hosted by Qatar over three days and chaired by President of ACTA Hamad bin Nasser Al Misnad, the conference brought together representatives of 21 countries, along with a number of regional and international countries and organisations attending as observers.
The closing session reviewed draft decisions and the final statement, with participants endorsing several outcomes covering implementation of the Arab Anti-Corruption Convention, international cooperation, financial investigations, beneficial ownership transparency and preventive measures against corruption.
Among the key outcomes was the adoption of the Doha Declaration on strengthening preventive measures against corruption. The conference also adopted a decision on accelerating responses to requests for mutual legal assistance in corruption cases, as well as measures to enhance transparency of beneficial ownership and identify the real beneficiaries of legal entities and arrangements.
The conference approved the convening of a regional meeting of experts from Arab ministries of justice and interior and relevant anti-corruption bodies to develop a concept for a unified Arab guide on parallel financial investigations into financial corruption crimes.
Addressing the conclusion of the conference, Al Misnad expressed appreciation to the participating states, delegations and partner organisations for their constructive cooperation and contributions to the success of the event.
He said the conference provided a renewed opportunity to affirm that combating corruption is a shared responsibility and that strengthening integrity and transparency cannot be achieved through individual efforts, but requires cooperation, exchange of expertise and the integration of roles among relevant institutions.
Al Misnad said the discussions during the conference and the accompanying Arab Forum highlighted the importance of continuing to develop preventive tools, benefiting from successful experiences and practices, and keeping pace with institutional and technological developments.
Ambassador Dr. Maha Bukheit, Supervisor of the Legal Affairs Sector and Secretary-General of the Conference of the States Parties to the Arab Anti-Corruption Convention, highlighted the convention’s role in promoting Arab cooperation against corruption as a cross-border phenomenon.
She said the sixth session’s agenda included reviewing implementation of decisions from previous sessions, regional meetings, workshops and training programmes, as well as preparations for a regional expert meeting to develop the proposed unified Arab guide for parallel financial investigations.
Saeed Shehadeh, Adviser to the President of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission and President of the conference’s fifth session, said several regional workshops and meetings had been held to implement decisions of the previous session. These included a workshop on parallel financial investigations in corruption cases hosted by the Iraqi Integrity Commission in partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Participants also approved decisions concerning enhanced review of implementation of the convention, the recommendations of the open-ended committee of government experts and representatives of independent bodies, and the implementation plan for the fifth session.
The conference agreed to hold the fifth session of the Implementation Review Team in December 2026, including preparations for the second review cycle beginning in 2027.
Oman was also approved to host and chair the seventh session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Arab Anti-Corruption Convention in 2028.
