VIENNA: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) participated in the Intergovernmental Panel on Combating Corruption held today at the United Nations headquarters in Vienna, Austria, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) delegation was led by Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) Chairman Mazen bin Ibrahim Al-Kahmous.
In his address, Al-Kahmous has expressed gratitude to the organizers and highlighted the KSA’s efforts to combat corruption, driven by the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the continuous oversight of HRH Crown Prince. He also emphasized that these efforts align with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which includes numerous steps aimed at curbing illegal practices in government procurement.
Al-Kahmous also underscored the establishment of the “Etimad Platform,” a unified electronic portal designed to enhance transparency in government procurement, enhance the efficiency of public spending, and minimize corruption throughout the public tender process. He highlighted the successful collaboration between the Ministry of Finance and Nazaha in developing indicators within the platform to identify and mitigate corruption risks, especially in preventing collusion and fraud among firms bidding for government contracts.
On the international front, he noted the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s support for the partnership between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Nazaha in launching the “Global Initiative on the Measurement of Corruption.” The step, based on the Vienna Principles for Measuring Corruption, aims to evaluate international efforts to combat corruption, with a focus on promoting integrity in government procurement.
