KUWAIT CITY - Kuwait has achieved a social contract without relying on domestic taxation and is at the forefront of developing its fiscal system, a UN expert said today.
"As a committed leader in solidarity and humanitarian financial assistance, I commend Kuwait's commitment to South-South and global cooperation," said Attiya Waris, the UN Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, in a statement at the end of her visit to the country.
Waris acknowledged Kuwait's innovative approach in establishment of institutional mechanisms, structures, and strategies to develop its fiscal system.
She stressed that by establishing the oldest development fund in the world in 1961, just months after Kuwait's independence, the country set a good example of early commitment to the human rights principle of international cooperation and assistance as a state obligation. An approach that continues across the country to date.
"Kuwait has consistently been among the first in the Gulf to adopt new international standards, establishing a capitals markets authority, sovereign wealth fund, and participating in Islamic financial standard-setting through AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions)," the expert said. "This institutional sophistication shows capacity for rapid adoption of global regulatory frameworks."
Waris highlighted Kuwait's national development plan and its alignment with the UN 2030 Agenda, including efforts to diversify its economy through the development of non-oil economic sectors, the improvement of citizens standards of living, while preserving the values of Kuwaiti identity.
She acknowledged Kuwait's efforts to ensure the financial realisation of human rights through the application of the guiding principles of fiscal legitimacy, including accountability, transparency, responsibility, efficiency and effectiveness, fairness, and justice.
The Independent Expert noted the sophisticated nature of the Kuwaiti Zakat system. "By combining spiritual values with an institutionalised mechanism, the system provides both domestic assistance and international support. It plays a significant role in reducing poverty, promoting social cohesion, and the realisation of human rights globally," she said.
Waris encouraged authorities to continue ongoing efforts to strengthen national frameworks for financial transparency including but not limited to anti-money laundering. She encouraged Kuwait to continue to share information across borders, particularly in the context of investigations on illicit financial flows and to continue this Kuwaiti tradition by supporting the development of a global fiscal framework.
The Independent Expert will present her full report to the Human Rights Council at its 61st session in March 2026.
