SESRIC participated in the Saudi Maldives International Forum on Integrity with the theme “Strengthening Integrity and Combating Corruption in the Tourism Sector,” held on Lankanfinolhu Island on 6-7 May 2025. In pursuance to the Resolution No. 2/50-LO of the 50^th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers held in 2024 in Yaoundé; the Forum has been organised by the Republic of Maldives and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the participation of more than 180 delegates from 40 OIC countries and 11 international and non-member country organisations.

Following the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an, the Forum was inaugurated with the Welcoming Remarks of H.E. Hussain Mohamed LATHEEF, Vice-President of the Republic of Maldives; H.E. Hissein Brahim TAHA, Secretary General of the OIC; H.E. Ghada WALY, Executive Director of UNODC (video message); H.E. Mazin bin Ibrahim AL-KAHMOUS, President of Nazaha of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and H.E. Adam SHAMIL, President of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Maldives.

The Opening was followed by the session on Key Deliverables of the Forum. The participants have been presented the following High-Level Principles on Strengthening Integrity and Combating Corruption in the Tourism Sector:

• Enhance oversight and anti-corruption legal and regulatory frameworks
• Enhance international collaboration to prevent and combat corruption in the tourism sector and facilitate asset recovery
• Utilizing Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to promote integrity and prevent corruption
• Ensure transparency, integrity, and efficiency of procurement in the tourism sector
• Promote sustainable tourism development with effective and transparent land management that respects the environment, conserves natural resources, cultural heritages and protects biodiversity
• Promote transparency and integrity in public-private partnerships
• Monitor and assess the effectiveness of anti-corruption frameworks and efforts
• Establish disclosure systems and ease citizens’ access to information
• Enhance collaboration among relevant stakeholders and foster the detection of misconducts

During the Keynote Presentation, SESRIC shared insights from its report on “Corruption and Tourism Sector” submitted to the OIC General Secretariat. The presentation highlighted tourism’s economic impact on OIC countries. In 2024, OIC Member Countries attracted 272 million tourists (18% global share), earning 279 billion USD and employed over 50 million people, with projections for 8% of GDP and 8.3% employment contributions by 2034. Between 2016 and 2023, 31 member countries improved their World Governance Index related scores. The keynote presentation by SESRIC also underscored that good governance is vital to protect assets like 237 UNESCO sites found in the OIC Member Countries.

The first day of the Forum focused on exchanging expert views on key governance gaps within the tourism sector. The goal was to highlight both national and global strategies to address these integrity vulnerabilities. The participants had the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the existing challenges and proposed actionable solutions to mitigate integrity risks in this vital industry.

The second day of the Forum provided a deeper understanding of the challenges in combating the issues in upholding the ethical standards within the tourism industry. It also focused on designing solutions and collective actions to promote integrity. The recommendations adopted in the final session of the day established a roadmap for the relevant approaches that may be adopted by the OIC countries.

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