On 19-21 September 2023, the OECD brought together key local stakeholders, alongside international and regional experts for a focused dialogue on anti-corruption and business integrity in the private sector, focusing on sectors considered to be particularly exposed to corruption risks.

The anti-corruption seminars, organised in Amman, Jordan, hosted relevant Yemeni public authorities, private sector representatives, alongside international and regional experts (OECD, IMF, World Bank, the Union of Arab Banks (UAB), the Jordanian Central Bank and Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Lebanese Special Investigation Commission, Transparency International Jordan and Lebanon, etc.)

The objective of the anti-corruption workshops was to promote public-private dialogue on anti-corruption and business integrity in Yemen. It also aimed to raise awareness on international anti-corruption and anti-money laundering standards among Yemeni public officials and non-state actors.

Anti-corruption seminars tackled two distinct topics:

• The Anti-Corruption and Business Integrity Multi-stakeholder dialogue

The initial day focused on raising awareness amongst Yemeni stakeholders of the OECD's anti-corruption and integrity standards. Additionally, it presented the OECD's note to the audience on the risks of corruption in Yemen's energy and banking sectors. The Yemeni authorities also had the chance to listen to international experts' views on the importance of public-private dialogue in the MENA region. The IMF and peers from anti-corruption agencies, alongside members from the private sector and civil society, were able to exchange experiences on the matter at hand.

Two roundtables on business integrity in the energy and banking sectors were held on the second day of the workshop in the presence of Yemeni authorities and experts from the sector. These international and regional experts gave technical presentations that prompted discussions with the audience, helping assess the situation in these two sectors in Yemen and identify anti-corruption and business integrity challenges faced by the authorities in these sectors.

• The Anti-Money Laundering seminar

The anti-money laundering seminar first addressed the linkages and synergies between anti-corruption and anti-money laundering strategies, building on the outcomes of the multi-stakeholder dialogue on anti-corruption. The anti-money laundering seminar also reviewed some regional experiences of collaborative and sustainable process of cooperation between anti-corruption and anti-money laundering authorities. It explored the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships to reduce money laundering and identified challenges and requirements for successful public-private alliances. The anti-money laundering seminar also provided an opportunity to hear about the diverse challenges and obstacles faced by the Yemeni authorities in the fight against money laundering in the context of a fragile conflict-affected country. The authorities expressed the need and urgency to promote public-private dialogue in this crucial area for the successful recovery of the banking sector. The anti-money laundering seminar concluded with the need to support the Yemeni authorities in effectively combating money.

Key anti-corruption seminar takeaways on the needs and actions in the banking and energy sectors in Yemen:

• Raise awareness on the detection and reporting of corruption among civil servants and teach the corruption risks
• Encourage inter-agency cooperation
• Encourage synergies between anti-corruption and anti-money laundering policies and institutions
• Promote co-operation between anti-corruption authorities and private sector/civil society
• For the private sector: presenting schemes for collective anti-corruption actions in the electricity sector and raising awareness of the banking sector to the detection of corruption