The third high-level meeting of heads of anti-corruption law enforcement agencies from Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states has been held in Baku.
Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office told Report that the event, which it hosted, brought together more than 250 participants representing 46 member and observer countries and eight international organizations. They included more than 40 senior officials, including ministers and heads of independent anti-corruption agencies.
The meeting aimed to strengthen international and regional anti-corruption cooperation among OIC member states, expand coordinated action between law enforcement agencies and promote exchanges of best practices.
Participants also discussed identifying and recovering assets obtained through corruption, using modern technologies in anti-corruption efforts and opportunities for joint action among member states' relevant agencies.
The opening ceremony began with Azerbaijan's national anthem, followed by a recitation of verses from the Holy Quran.
Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev then read out President Ilham Aliyev's address to participants.
The president's address emphasized that corruption undermines public trust in state institutions, social justice, fair competition and economic development. Given the cross-border nature of corruption offenses, it highlighted the need to strengthen international cooperation alongside national measures. Increasing transparency and accountability in public administration, digitalizing public services, strengthening public oversight and effectively using modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, were identified as key areas of anti-corruption efforts.
Speakers at the opening ceremony included Hamad bin Nasser Al-Misnad, president of Qatar's Administrative Control and Transparency Authority and chair of the second ministerial meeting of OIC member states' anti-corruption law enforcement agencies; Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev; Mazin bin Ibrahim Al-Kahmous, president of Saudi Arabia's Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority; and OIC Secretary General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
Al-Misnad emphasized the importance of maintaining cooperation among member states and strengthening joint anti-corruption efforts. He highlighted the value of such meetings for exchanging experience, discussing shared challenges and developing effective cooperation mechanisms, while outlining Qatar's measures and achievements in this field.
Following elections, Azerbaijan was unanimously elected to chair the bureau of the third high-level meeting for a two-year term. Iraq, Palestine and Burkina Faso were elected bureau members.
In his address, Kamran Aliyev emphasized the importance of combating corruption to uphold the rule of law, increase transparency and accountability in public administration, and strengthen public trust in state institutions.
He highlighted the legal and institutional reforms implemented in Azerbaijan under President Ilham Aliyev's leadership, improvements in public administration and the strengthening of anti-corruption mechanisms. He stressed that combating corruption requires not only punitive measures but also preventive mechanisms, timely identification of risks and the elimination of conditions that enable corruption.
The prosecutor general also outlined measures to ensure transparent and accessible public services in Azerbaijan. Emphasizing the importance of international cooperation against transnational forms of corruption, he called for faster information exchange, stronger mutual legal assistance and coordinated action among law enforcement agencies. He added that Azerbaijan attaches particular importance to developing cooperation within the OIC, strengthening Islamic solidarity and expanding partnerships among member states.
OIC Secretary General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed thanked Azerbaijan for organizing the event and for its hospitality. Describing corruption as a serious challenge that harms public administration, economic development and public trust in state institutions, he stressed the need for joint, coordinated action by member states to make anti-corruption efforts more effective.
Given the cross-border nature of corruption offenses, he highlighted the importance of expanding cooperation among relevant agencies, exchanging information promptly and effectively using international legal mechanisms. He also emphasized the need to strengthen institutional anti-corruption ties and develop common approaches within the OIC.
The secretary general urged OIC member states to accelerate the signing and ratification of the Makkah Convention.
Russian Prosecutor General Alexander Gutsan addressed the meeting as a guest of honor, representing a country with OIC observer status. He emphasized the importance of removing proceeds of corruption from economic circulation and strengthening international cooperation to detect and prevent corruption offenses.
Gutsan said Russia was interested in expanding ties with OIC member states' anti-corruption agencies and noted that cooperation agreements and programs were already in place with several relevant institutions. He added that, in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Russia's Prosecutor General's Office organizes training courses for experts from countries participating in monitoring the implementation of the relevant international convention.
During the working sessions, participants discussed and adopted the draft agenda and work program, and reviewed and approved the report of the senior officials' meeting.
Ministers responsible for anti-corruption efforts and heads of relevant law enforcement agencies from OIC member states then delivered statements. Participants shared their countries' measures, experience and priorities in this field. Representatives of regional and international organizations also presented their approaches and proposals for developing cooperation.
During the event, Azerbaijan signed the Makkah Convention on Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Cooperation among OIC Member States.
Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev signed the convention on Azerbaijan's behalf in the presence of OIC Secretary General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Aliyev emphasized the importance of international cooperation, prompt information exchange between countries and coordinated action among law enforcement agencies in making anti-corruption efforts more effective. He urged OIC member states to complete the procedures necessary to sign the convention and take an active approach to this process.
The Makkah Convention establishes the legal framework for cooperation among OIC member states' anti-corruption law enforcement agencies. It aims to strengthen interstate cooperation in preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting corruption offenses, and to expand exchanges of information and evidence, mutual legal assistance, cooperation in investigative activities and exchanges of professional experience.
The document also provides for stronger cooperation in identifying, tracing, freezing and confiscating assets obtained through corruption and returning them to their countries of origin.
The signing further demonstrates the importance Azerbaijan attaches to developing anti-corruption cooperation within the OIC, expanding international legal ties and strengthening joint efforts against challenges arising from the cross-border nature of corruption offenses.