Muscat: His Excellency Sheikh Ghuson bin Hilal Al-Alawi, the esteemed Chairman of the State Audit Institution, led the delegation from the Sultanate of Oman to the 10th Meeting of the GCC Anti-Corruption Ministerial Committee, which took place in Doha, Qatar.
During the proceedings, His Excellency Sheikh Ghuson bin Hilal Al-Alawi delivered a distinguished speech. He extended his congratulations to the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority for the successful hosting of the 44th GCC session, to the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their selection as the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (the GlobE Network) for the period spanning from 2025 to 2027, and to the UAE Accountability Authority for their appointment as a member of the Steering Committee of the GlobE Network for the same duration.
His Excellency also addressed several critical topics outlined in the agenda of the meeting. These included the development of specialized manuals related to disclosure and the Manual of Integrity Promotion in State-Owned Enterprises, which have been crafted in adherence to recognized professional standards. These manuals are designed to assist auditors in achieving their objectives efficiently and effectively, thereby contributing to the enhancement of anti-corruption efforts across GCC states.
The meeting also saw the review and discussion of several key topics, with particular emphasis on the Gulf Cooperation Council's accreditation as a regional organization to the United Nations Convention against Corruption. Additionally, there was a focus on the development of joint manuals, such as the Manual of Financial Disclosure, Manual of Making Media and Awareness Content Available for GCC Authorities and Institutions Responsible for Promoting Integrity and Combating Corruption, and the Manual of Integrity Promotion in State-Owned Enterprises in the GCC States.
The delegations' leaders reviewed the recommendations from the 2024 annual event, selected a topic for the 2025 annual event, and discussed the implementation of interactive seminars for the forthcoming period. The meeting concluded with a discussion on the update of mechanisms aimed at facilitating the exchange of experiences and expertise between anti-corruption institutions and authorities.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the participants were presented with the inaugural GCC competition for research and studies in the areas of integrity protection and corruption combat. Lieutenant-Colonel Saleh bin Salim bin Mohammed Al Habsi from the Royal Oman Police was recognized as the third-place winner for his research on "The Regulatory Framework for Protecting Whistleblowers, Witnesses, Experts, and Their Equivalents in Corruption Cases."
His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, graciously received the delegations' representatives who participated in the meeting. During the friendly discussions related to the meeting's topics, it was expressed that the collective efforts would be successful.
