QNA
Doha
President of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority (ACTA) HE Hamad bin Nasser Al Misnad described the Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani Anti-Corruption Excellence Award (ACE Award) as a cornerstone of global anti-corruption efforts for its significant impact at the international and regional levels.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Misnad said that the ACE Award is presented annually on the International Anti-Corruption Day which falls on Nov. 19, in recognition and appreciation of those who have contributed to the global campaign to combat corruption. Individuals and institutions that have dedicated themselves to fighting corruption are honored based on certain criteria.
The ACE Award aims to highlight exemplary and noteworthy actions and good practices at the global level, as well as to appreciate, promote, collect and disseminate anti-corruption models from all over the world, increase awareness, support and solidarity in the fight against corruption, and encouraging similar and new initiatives in order to establish a corruption-free society, His Excellency explained.
The Award is divided into several categories to recognize efforts in various fields within the framework of the global fight against corruption, namely: Lifetime/Outstanding Achievement, the Academic Research and Education, Youth Creativity and Engagement, Innovation/Investigative Journalism, Safeguarding Sports from Corruption, he added.
Noting the international impact of the Award, His Excellency said the award contributes to highlighting living examples of successful practices in combating corruption, which inspired governments and institutions around the world to adopt similar strategies, contributing significantly to strengthening global efforts in addressing this phenomenon.
His Excellency underlined that the Award has become a prestigious international platform to honor individuals and institutions that make tangible contributions in this field of combating corruption. In addition, the award encourages countries to adhere to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, by focusing on successful practices that can be replicated and developed.
On the Award’s regional impact, His Excellency said that ACE Award contributes to raising regional standards and creating a constructive dialogue among Arab countries to exchange experiences and best practices. Through the Youth Creativity and Engagement category, the Award also encourages youth in the Arab region to innovate and participate effectively in the fight against corruption, creating a generation aware of the importance of transparency and integrity.
The Award also highlights the challenges specific to the region, such as promoting good governance in the public and private sectors, and encourages the adoption of strategies that are appropriate to regional contexts, he added.
Thanks to the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani Anti-Corruption Excellence Award, the fight against corruption has become a central topic in regional discourse, enhancing cooperation among governments and regional organizations, such as the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League, to support joint efforts aimed at eliminating corruption and promoting sustainable development, His Excellency indicated.
Al Misnad emphasized that the ACE Award has achieved remarkable success in highlighting successful projects and initiatives, through its comprehensive and innovative approach that links recognition and awareness.
The Award’s impact was realized through several elements - celebrating outstanding achievements by honoring individuals and institutions that have made exceptional contributions to combating corruption; and the diverse categories, such as academic research, youth creativity, innovation, and protecting sports, providing an opportunity to highlight different aspects of anti-corruption efforts, His Excellency explained.
The Award has an international reach, with award ceremonies held in global cities such as Vienna, Geneva, Kuala Lumpur and Rwanda, thus enhancing the reach of its message across continents. This approach reflects the international nature of the Award and underscores its role as a platform for promoting dialogue and exchange of ideas among governments, international organisations and civil society, His Excellency said.
Moreover, the Award attracts wide media attention, which helps to spread success stories and good practices in combating corruption. Media coverage, whether traditional or digital, ensures that the Awards message reaches different segments of the public around the world, he added.
In another context, HE the President of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority highlighted the responsibility placed on the executive bodies concerned with combating the corruption and addressing its challenges, most importantly implementing the United Nations Convention against Corruption, enhancing transparency and accountability, empowering civil society and the media, raising awareness and using modern technology.
He expected that the Award would see developments that would enhance its impact and spread, including focusing on specific areas such as digital technology and its role in combating corruption, in addition to enhancing youth participation by engaging youth through initiatives and programs to provide innovative solutions to combat corruption, which would enhance their role as a major driver of change.
He noted that modern technical tools will be adopted in the evaluation and selection process in order to ensure transparency and accuracy in determining the winners. International partnerships will also be expanded by building partnerships with new international and regional organizations to enhance cooperation and exchange of expertise in the field of combating corruption.
He highlighted that the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani ACE Award is distinguished by the diversity of its categories, which makes it comprehensive and capable of targeting different segments of the society. This diversity enhances societal roles by encouraging innovation among youth, empowering new generations to develop innovative ideas and solutions, as well as enhancing scientific research, supporting researchers’ efforts to provide scientific studies and tools that contribute to understanding and confronting the phenomenon, and supporting media and investigative journalism, which encourages journalists to expose corrupt practices and increase public awareness. Other categories such as “Safeguarding Sports from Corruption” and “Lifetime/Outstanding Achievement” ensure the comprehensiveness of efforts to reach sensitive and influential sectors in the society.
Regarding the challenges facing those in charge of the Award, His Excellency said that the challenges are related to fair and independent evaluation, ensuring the continuity of innovation, managing geographical diversity, international organization, and spreading awareness.
While the Award’s categories reflect its comprehensiveness and ability to influence various aspects of society, the challenges it faces are an indicator of the commitment to developing it and enhancing its position as a global tool in combating corruption, His Excellency said.
The multiplicity of cities that host the Award ceremony carries several important indications, including enhancing the cultural and geographical diversity of the initiative, and expanding the scope of influence so that the Award can direct its message and impact to a wider and more diverse audience. This audience can include government officials, civil activists, media representatives, and interested individuals from different cultures and societies, His Excellency stressed.
The multiplicity of host cities also contributes to highlighting local and regional challenges which differ from one region to another, and from one city to another. Holding the Award ceremony in multiple cities can highlight local and regional challenges and enhance cooperation to address them, and increase public awareness of corruption and its impact, he added.
In a related context, HE Hamad bin Nasser Al Misnad noted that the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority has signed several memoranda of understanding recently, perhaps the most important of which are the memoranda of understanding signed in the fields of combating and preventing corruption with France, Egypt, Palestine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Rwanda.
He emphasized that the memoranda of understanding signed by the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority with its counterparts in many countries constitute strategic tools to consolidate international cooperation in the field of combating corruption.
He stressed the importance of these memoranda in providing an opportunity to exchange the best practices and successful experiences in combating corruption, as each country has its own unique approach. This cooperation contributes to providing innovative and appropriate solutions. For example, the State of Qatars experience in promoting integrity and transparency can be a model to be emulated by countries seeking to improve anti-corruption mechanisms.
In addition, the memoranda of Understanding contribute to creating long-term partnerships between countries, which enhances coordination on cross-border issues such as money laundering and corruption in international contracts, he added.
Through these memoranda, Qatar emerges as an active country in global anti-corruption efforts. They highlight Qatars successful experience as a unique model in combating corruption that balances between using modern technology and enhancing cultural awareness of the importance of transparency, he said.
The memoranda also help other countries to benefit from the tools developed by the Authority, such as awareness and training programs, and electronic reporting platforms, he added.
These memoranda are not limited to the theoretical aspect, but are embodied in tangible projects and initiatives, such as launching joint training programs, hosting conferences, and developing new oversight tools, he noted.
The memoranda of understanding are a vital tool that contributes to building a united front against corruption globally, and confirms Qatar’s commitment to transferring its expertise in this field to the world, thus contributing to achieving sustainable development and social justice on an international scale, Al Misnad concluded.
