Baku: The Sixth Plenary Meeting of the United Nations Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities, known as the GlobE Network, has officially commenced in Baku, with the opening ceremony marking the start of the event.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the opening ceremony featured a speech by Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev, who delivered an address from President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan to the participants. Following this, Brigitte Strobel-Shaw, the Chief of the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), spoke about the borderless nature of corruption and the critical need for collaborative efforts to combat it.
Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s comprehensive approach to fighting corruption, which includes criminal prosecution, institutional reforms, public awareness campaigns, the use of digital technologies, and the engagement of civil society. UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, Vladanka Andreeva, also spoke, emphasizing Azerbaijan’s active participation in the UN Convention against Corruption and its mechanisms, expressing gratitude for the country’s involvement and hopeful that it will continue to play a vital role within the GlobE Network.
Nasser Abaalkhalil, Chair of the Steering Committee of the GlobE Network, provided insights into the Network’s operations and encouraged non-member countries to join. The Plenary Meeting’s agenda was subsequently adopted.
The meeting sees the participation of over 300 representatives from more than 120 state institutions across 92 countries, including 21 prosecutor’s offices, 53 independent anti-corruption agencies, and 16 international organizations. Additionally, over 60 participants are attending online, and nearly 50 high-ranking officials from various countries’ law enforcement agencies are present at the event.
The main focus of the Plenary Meeting is ‘Opportunities for the Application of New Technologies and Artificial Intelligence in the Fight Against Corruption.’ The event will feature over 100 speeches across panels, sessions, and parallel events, addressing subtopics like the confiscation of assets obtained through corruption, direct asset recovery, halting suspicious financial transactions, international cooperation for rapid freezing of bank accounts during criminal proceedings, and public awareness in fighting corruption.
Special sessions and parallel events will also be organized by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan, spotlighting the ‘Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty’ and addressing environmental offenses related to Azerbaijan’s COP29 presidency. Furthermore, numerous bilateral meetings and the signing of cooperation memorandums are planned throughout the event.