Egypt to Host 9th Session of UN Anti-Corruption Conference on Monday

Egypt is set to host the 9th session of the Conference of States Parties (CoSP) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) during the period between13 to 17 December in Sharm El-Sheikh city.

The conference, which is held every two years, is one of the world's largest anti-corruption gatherings and brings together people from the Member States, parliaments, inter-governmental organizations, civil society, and the private sector.

The conference will review the implementation of the UNCAC, the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument and discuss preventing corruption and improving international cooperation to better tackle corruption and asset recovery.

The agenda for the ninth session will include a review of the implementation of the UNCAC, the provisional agenda for the 10th session and the adoption of the conference’s report.

The 2021 edition will be attended by 2,170 representatives from 144 countries, which is the highest number of attendees in the history of the convention.

According to Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Ghada Wali, participants will include five heads of state, more than 50 ministers, 30 heads of anti-corruption bodies, and 257 civil society members.

The convention, which has been signed by 189 countries, comprises eight chapters and 71 articles. It covers five main areas: preventive measures, criminalization and law enforcement, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance and information exchange. The convention also covers many different forms of corruption, such as bribery, trading in influence, abuse of functions, and various acts of corruption in the private sector.