OECD: Israel is first Middle Eastern state to sign anti-bribery convention

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said last Tuesday that Israel had become the first Middle Eastern state to join its anti-bribery convention
 
According to information released by the organization, following meetings held by OECD's Working Group on Bribery in Paris, Israel's signing of the convention and its participation in the meetings is "an important step in its accessionto OECD membership."
 
The OECD noted that Israel is the 38th country to sign the convention. The OECD also noted that Israel is one of five countries, along with Chile, Estonia, Russia and Slovenia, that in December 2007 were invited to join the OECD, a 30-member body that seeks to coordinate economic policies among mainly industrialized states. Chile, Estonia and Slovenia have already signed the convention.
 
The Anti-Bribery Convention is part of the organization's drive to improve global governance, including preventing bribery through export credits; denying tax deductibility of bribes; preventing corruption in the public sector and improving governance through development assistance.