Kuwait recognizes necessity of controlling, preventing conflicts of interests
While many foreign investors believe Kuwait and other neighboring countries here in the Middle East operate without rule of law, that is the furthest from the truth. Kuwait has and continues to improve governance and trust in the government by implementing various progressive regulations and laws. With the newly implemented Law No. 13 for the Year 2018 regarding the Prohibition of Conflict of Interests, Kuwait recognizes the necessity of controlling and preventing conflicts of interests within the public sector, as to not compromise the government’s integrity.
A Conflict of Interest is when a government employee has a conflict between its personal interests and position within the institution. If there is a conflict of interest, the government employee is required to remove oneself from that specific project that is the subject of the conflict, or resign from such position.
Moreover, the government must work to identify and resolve conflict situations by developing compliance standards and establishing conflict of interest management systems. The employees must also be trained about conflicts of interests, and understand prevention of conflicts and compliance with the standards. With the enforcement of the law and efficient procedures in place, government institutions will certainly reduce government employee misconduct.
Not only does the implementation of this law show Kuwait’s intolerance for misconduct within the public sector, it sets a standard for the private sector as well.