HE the Attorney General Dr Ali bin Futais al-Merri told Qatar News Agency that the biennial conference will discuss three major topics – technical assistance, asset recovery and review of the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption.
In this context, Dr Al-Merri said that technical assistance is intended to review each party’s particular vulnerabilities in the implementation of the convention and means of exchanging experiences and providing financial allocations.
Meanwhile, participants will as well study practical tools, including training courses to enable the states’ party to achieve best practices in the implementation of the UNCAC, Dr Al-Merri added.
Concerning the third theme of asset recovery, the attorney general stressed that it is a fundamental principle of the UNCAC and explained that the parties will study during the conference how to promote the return of stolen public funds through the establishment of an inter-governmental working group on asset recovery.
On the review of the Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the attorney general highlighted the disparity between developing and developed countries, noting that some states have required the need to submit reports on their commitment to implement the convention while others do not think that such a process should be mandatory.
Dr al-Merri stressed that submission of a report would be subject of vote and should be approved by all parties to the UNCAC according to the so-called “Vienna Spirit”.
The attorney general said that Qatar, under the guidance of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani attaches great importance to fighting corruption.
The hosting of this conference in Doha stems from the increasing awareness that corruption is no longer governed by the geographical limits, therefore it is necessary to counter all its evolving patterns, the attorney general said.
Dr al-Merri added that Qatar is also working to take advantage of the international practices and experiences to create its own proper model in the field of fighting corruption.
The attorney general pointed out that Qatar’s Public Prosecution has partnerships with all related institutions and local bodies in the region such as the Audit Bureau and the Commission of Integrity and Transparency in addition to other public and private institutions.