H.E. assumed the presidency of the United Nations Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, succeeding H.E. Mr. Harib Al Amimi, COSP8 President and the President of State Audit Institution of the United Arab Emirates. The Minister then held bilateral meetings and signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation in the name of the Administrative Control Authority.

 

12 countries were keen to meet with Minister Abdel Shafi along with representatives from the Administrative Control Authority (ACA) and the Egyptian Anti-Corruption Academy (EACA) to sign memoranda of cooperation and understanding to exchange experiences; jointly benefit from the technical expertise of the ACA in the fight against corruption; and build capacities through the EACA.

 

These bilateral meetings included a virtual meeting to sign an anti-corruption agreement with Mr. Charles Duchaine,  Director of the French Anti-Corruption Agency (AFA), and Mr. Angelos Binis, Governor of the Hellenic National Transparency Authority. 

 

In addition, discussions took place with the following heads and representatives of anti-corruption agencies:  H.E. Francisco Manuel, Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Angola; Mr. Artur Davtyan, the Armenian Prosecutor- General; Mr. Epiphane Zoro Bi Ballo, Minister of Promotion of Good Governance, Capacity Building and Anti-Corruption of Côte d'Ivoire;  Mr. Yevgeniy Kolenko, Head of the Academy of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan; and Tan Sri Azam Baki, Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. 

 

As for cooperation with Arab countries, COSP9  included five meetings with Nasser bin Hilal al-Maouli, Chairman of Oman’s Financial and Administrative Control Authority; Judge Alaa Jawad, Head of the Iraqi Commission of Integrity (COI); Mr. Muhannad Hijazi, Chairman of the Jordanian Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission; Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim, President of the Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority (NAZAHA); and Mr. Raed Radwan, Head of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission.

 

H.E. Hassan Abdel Shafi Ahmed's chairmanship was lauded by the United Nations, States parties signatories to the United Nations Convention against Corruption; relevant civil society organizations; and the participants in the Sharm El-Sheikh International Convention Center (SHICC). The attendees further commended this exceptional session and the COVID19-related measures taken by the Arab Republic of Egypt through testing and follow-up, adding that the 8 UN resolutions that have been adopted through this Conference further attest to its success.

 

The Chairman of the Administrative Control Authority shed light on Egypt’s experience in preventing and combating corruption in various sectors and institutions. This comes as part of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy that aligns with Egypt’s legislation and constitution to address and deter the scourge of corruption by thwarting illicit financial flows and money-laundering and using tech-based methods, such as artificial intelligence. 

 

Minister Hassan Abdel Shafi Ahmed stressed that the Republic of Egypt, under the leadership of H.E. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, deems the prevention and combating of  corruption a crucial means to address development impediments and maintain stability.

 

H.E. Abdel Shafi is building on Egypt’s international cooperation efforts to fight corruption, as H.E. reiterated his commitment to multilateralism and the exchange of information and technical expertise with various countries towards  effectively implementing the UNCAC.

 

The representatives of the United Nations and its Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), headed by Dr, Ghada Wali, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNODC, emphasized sustainable relations with Egypt as one of the first countries to participate in the establishment of this long-standing organization and as a sigantory to the UNCAC and many other conventions. 

 

In the closing session of COSP9, participants thanked Minister Hassan Abdel Shafi Ahmed and commended his efforts, as they asserted that cooperation with Egypt shall continue to benefit from its experience and exchange information in the field of combating corruption, especially with regards to cross-border issues.

 

It is noteworthy that Minister Hassan Abdel Shafi Ahmed, who served in the armed forces for many years, was appointed by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in August 2020 as the Chairman of the Administrative Control Authority.