Abu dhabi: States parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) convened Wednesday to assess the progress made in review mechanisms during previous sessions and to explore ways to build these achievements in pursuit of the Convention's objectives.

According to Qatar News Agency, the discussion took place during the main session on Day 3 of the 11th Conference of the States Parties (CoSP) to UNCAC, chaired by HE President of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority (ACTA) and President of the current session Hamad bin Nasser Al Misnad.

In his remarks, HE Al Misnad discussed the implementation of the Convention, referencing key historical milestones. He emphasized that, in line with Article 63 of the Convention, the conference must gain insight into the measures adopted by states parties and the challenges they face, using both national reports and the complementary review mechanisms provided by the conference.

He highlighted the significance of the 2009 decision establishing the Review Mechanism, which laid the foundation for structured evaluations. He also noted that the fourth and fifth sessions, held in Marrakech and Panama respectively, addressed delays in the review process and explored ways to accelerate progress, underscoring the vital role of technical assistance.

To address delays in the second cycle of the Implementation Review Mechanism, the conference extended the cycle's duration and encouraged voluntary exchanges of views among states parties within the review group, without altering its mandate. HE Al Misnad urged states to continue their active participation and to expedite the completion of the second cycle, aiming to finalize at least 70% of country reviews by June, while maintaining quality standards.

He affirmed that member states are committed to following up on review findings and welcomed the conference's efforts to evaluate and adapt the review process as needed. He also stressed the importance of leveraging the mechanism to identify best practices, address implementation gaps, and foster mutual trust and understanding among states parties.