Iraq and UNODC discuss counter-terrorism and handling corruption

INA - BAGHDAD 

Iraq Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein and the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Ghada Wali, discussed on Saturday, handling corruption, counter-terrorism, illegal immigration and prison conditions.

During the meeting, the two sides went through the latest regional and international developments, especially those related to the work of the UNDOC regarding the cases of illegal immigration, human trafficking, prison conditions and programs for rehabilitation, combating drugs in terms of reducing supply and demand, treating addiction phenomena, and treating addicts, in the light of the changes taking place in the Middle East and their impact on the immigration and drug files,  according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA). 


Both sides discussed the files of corruption and terrorism and the urgent need for a long-term plan related to the implementation of economic reforms that contribute to the transition of the Iraqi economy to modern automation for detecting corruption and prevent money laundering as well as terrorist financing.

According to the statement, they made talks about the process of recovering smuggled Iraqi funds abroad and how the government is working in this framework, as well as cooperation between Iraq in addition to the (STAR) initiative to recover looted funds, and cooperation with the German company Siemens in combating corruption in terms of public and private sectors.

They also discussed the implementation of the Container Control Program (CCP) and the possibility that it will allow to Iraq in the event of signing a memorandum of understanding within the framework of organizing the work of border crossings with the assistance of the United Nations, as well as assisting government agencies in obtaining drug detection devices.

Iraq FM Hussein praised the work of the UNDOC and its activities in Iraq as he offered to provide all possible assistance to facilitate the work of the office in implementing the programs designated for Iraq, and extended his invitation to Wali to “visit Baghdad at the earliest opportunity,”

For her part, Wali thanked FM Hussein for the visit and invited him to attend the conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, “because of its positive impact on helping Iraq in combating corruption and recovering funds,”