CAIRO: The ninth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption kicked off on Monday in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly was present, as were representatives from several hundred NGOs, and thousands of other participants. In his speech, he said corruption is an obstacle to sustainable development that transcends borders, necessitating cooperation to combat it. He added that tackling corruption is a basic principle of Egypt’s National Human Rights Strategy 2021-2026. The UN described the conference, which ends on Friday, as a “global milestone to improve international cooperation against corruption and help the world recover in integrity from the pandemic.” Hassan Abdel Shafi, chairman of the Administrative Control Authority in Egypt, took over the presidency of the ninth session from Harib bin Saeed Al-Amimi, president of the State Audit Institution in the UAE.