Regional Conference "Launching the Regional Alliance of Women Leaders for Anti-Corruption and Integrity in Arab Countries (WAIA)"

Organized by: UNDP Regional Hub for Arab states, with support from Canada

Starting in April of 2022, women leaders from diverse sectors in the Arab States region have joined forces under the joint support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Canada to study the links between corruption and gender issues. These women have established the Regional Alliance of Women Leaders for Anti-Corruption and Integrity in Arab Countries (WAIA), aimed at advancing gender-responsive anti-corruption and integrity reforms.

To inaugurate the WAIA regional alliance and offer support to its members, UNDP arranged for a regional conference that took place in Amman, Jordan, on 19-20 March 2023, and was attended by more than 100 participants from government, civil society, business, academia, media & international organizations.

This conference yielded the WAIA regional alliance's first bi-annual plan for 2023-2024 and encouraged attendees to participate in and contribute to this emerging regional dialogue. The conference focused on three critical aspects: examining the existing evidence on linkages between corruption and gender issues, exploring the gender dimensions in previous and current national integrity and anti-corruption strategies in the Arab States region, and promoting sector-specific discussions on how corruption impacts women differently in key sectors. This conference will be leading the development of regional guidelines for the integration of gender perspectives into national integrity and anti-corruption strategies, which will be adopted by the WAIA regional alliance and advocated to other regional organizations, networks, and platforms, as well as concerned national authorities in the Arab states.