Vienna, June 03, 2021, SPA -- Head of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s delegation participating in the First Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly Against Corruption Mazin bin Ibrahim Al-Kahmous, who is also the President of the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, expressed his highest gratitude to and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for their support for the Riyadh Initiative (GlobE Network), which stems from Saudi Arabia's belief in the importance of promoting the joint efforts to combat corruption locally and globally in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 as well as the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in a manner that enhances the efforts of international community in combating corruption. Addressing the opening Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly against corruption which includes launching Riyadh Initiative (GlobE Network), Al-Kahmous said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is aware that overcoming the challenges of cross-border corruption crimes requires close interaction among the relevant law enforcement authorities, praising the efforts of all countries and international organizations made with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the creation of the network. He congratulated the members of the event for the adoption of the Political Declaration of the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly against corruption. The declaration encompasses significant number of initiatives that would contribute to enhancing the joint efforts of countries in combating corruption, most notably, the establishment of the Global Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (GlobE Network), which was initiated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during its presidency of the G20 in 2020, considering the launch of the initiative as ushering into a new phase for all countries in fighting corruption. Al-Kahmous called on all countries to actively participate in the establishment of the network, provide necessary support for the success of this initiative and follow up on its development, in a way that serves the common interests of all countries, stressing the importance of cooperation among the Member States to combat corruption. The Riyadh Initiative (GlobE Network) aims to develop a rapid and effective tool to combat cross-border corruption crimes, enhance cooperation among anti-corruption authorities, establish a global network of anti-corruption law enforcement authorities, create a secure global platform to facilitate the exchange of information among anti-corruption law enforcement authorities, and launch a capacity-building program within the network for anti-corruption authorities’ workforces. --SPA 21:07 LOCAL TIME 18:07 GMT 0036 www.spa.gov.sa/w1566259