WASHINGTON: Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) showcased its digital transformation efforts to counter corruption and boost transparency during participation at the 10th Conference of State Parties (CoSP) held in Atlanta, US, on December 11–15.

The CoSP is the main policymaking body of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). While providing a visual presentation titled “digital transformation and bolstering transparency in anticorruption in Kuwait,” Assistant Secretary General for the Prevention Sector at Nazaha Abrar Al-Hammad highlighted Kuwait’s efforts to establish digital infrastructure and the collection of data at government institutes, an effort enabling the launch of digital and cloud services in Kuwait as well as bolstering information security.

She indicated that the idea focused on streamlining services for citizens by separating between service providers and recipients, which in turn would provide the utmost transparency in accordance with international standards of anticorruption and ease of obtaining data and services. Al-Hammad tabbed the Sahel (easy) government application in Kuwait, saying that it provided a unified platform for government services, enabling citizens and residents alike to apply for government transactions and documents with ease, as the namesake of the aforementioned application suggested.

The Sahel application boosted productivity on the part of employees and provided more transparency in government transactions, affirmed Al-Hammad. Services highly susceptible to corruption were linked to the Sahel application to prevent malpractice and stop any attempt at bribery in the public sector, she said, noting that the application had received favorable reviews from users.

Nazaha’s chairman, Abdulaziz Al-Ibraheem, headed the Kuwaiti delegation to the CoSP 10. The conference is attended by over 2,000 participants from government, regional, and international bodies, as well as representatives from the public and private sectors and civil society, in addition to the youth. The conference reviews national and international efforts in anticorruption as well as challenges facing the implementation of the UNCAC. — KUNA