The conference began Monday as part of a wide range of measures aimed at supporting good government practices in Iraq. The European Commission funded the UNDP conference.

The chief of the U.N. mission to Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, chaired the event, which was the first comprehensive conference of its kind held in Baghdad, the United Nations said in a statement.

Antonio Maria Costa, the head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, addressed the conference Monday calling on the Iraqi government to sign on to the U.N. Convention Against Corruption, saying it was a "powerful international instrument that can help the rule of law prevail over the rule of the bribe in Iraq."

Costa said the United Nations needed to "protect brave Iraqi citizens" who emerged to point out instances of government corruption and suggested a reward program to benefit whistleblowers.

The conference concluded with various presentations and discussion panels on institutional development and capacity building, the statement said.