NEW YORK — Saudi Arabia's anti-graft chief congratulated the Kingdom's leadership on Thursday on the adoption of the "Riyadh Initiative," which is now known as the Global Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (GlobE Network) by the UN General Assembly. Leading the Kingdom's delegation at the two-day special session of General Assembly against corruption, which got underway on Wednesday at the UN headquarters in New York, Mazin Bin Ibrahim Al-Kahmous, president of the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha), called for concerted international efforts to combat the menace of corruption. Addressing the participants of the UN special session, the Saudi anti-graft chief said: "Many countries are still not able to access anti-corruption networks whether due to decentralized processes or lack of capacity and resources. "The G20 'Riyadh Initiative' to create the GlobENetwork, is meant to address this gap," he added. Al-Kahmous also congratulated the members of the event for the adoption of the initiative against corruption. He called on all countries to actively participate in the establishment of the network, provide the necessary support for the success of this initiative and follow up on its development, in a way that serves the common interests of all countries, stressing the importance of cooperation among the member states to combat corruption. Al-Kahmous will also lead Saudi Arabia's delegation at the session at the UN headquarters in Vienna. Earlier in the day, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lauded Saudi Arabia's role in establishing a global anti-corruption network, stressing that "corruption is an immoral act and a serious cross-border crime". He added that turning the tide against corruption is essential to achieve sustainable development goals, promote peace, and protect human rights, stressing reinvigoration of the political commitment in this field, strengthening the international cooperation to recover stolen assets, and preventing those responsible for corruption from finding safe havens for themselves and their funds. He also said that the creation of the global network is a step in the right direction, adding that it will enable law enforcement authorities to navigate legal processes through informal cooperation across borders, helping to build trust and bring those guilty of corruption to justice. The UN chief that the GlobE Network will empower all countries with practical solutions and tools to track, investigate and prosecute corruption, complementing existing frameworks, adding that the United Nations system will continue to provide technical assistance to fight corruption, backed by the UN Common Position on Corruption agreed in the run-up to the Special Session, and based on the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
