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QNA/TNN
Tunis/Doha
His Highness the Amir of State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani congratulated the winners of the 5th edition of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award, thanking Tunisia for hosting the ceremony.
In a tweet, HH the Amir said, “I congratulate the winners of the Excellence Award in Combating Corruption for this season, which comes when the world is living in an exceptional circumstance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping that the efforts of international community will continue to consolidate the values of integrity and the rule of law. I also thank the brothers in Tunisia for hosting the award ceremony.”
Seven individuals and organisations from around the world were announced as the winners of the Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award on Wednesday.
In cooperation with the United Nations, the fifth edition of the awards ceremony took place in Tunis on Wednesday.
Winners of the Award this year were Dr Adam Graycar (Australia) and Dr Michael Levi (United Kingdom) in the Academic Research and Education category; the non-governmental organisation ONG Tolotsoa (Madagascar) and the Center for the Study of Democracy (Bulgaria) in the Youth Creativity and Engagement category; Riad Kobaissi (Lebanon) and Instituto Observatorio Politico e Socioambiental (Brazil) in the Innovation category; and Perdana Leadership Foundation (Malaysia) in the Outstanding Achievement category.
The honouring ceremony was attended by UN Special Advocate on the Prevention of Corruption and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Center (ROLACC) HE Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri, President of the National Anti-Corruption Authority (INLUCC) of Tunisia Judge Imed Boukhris, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions Alexandre Zouev, GCC representative of the UN Office against Drugs and Crime Judge Dr Hatem Ali, members of the Award’s Supreme Committee, the Advisory Board for selecting its winners, and a number of international guests.
In a videotaped speech, President of Tunisia Kais Said extended thanks to the organisers for the efforts in hosting this event, looking forward to new ideas for new means to combat corruption.
The Tunisian president said the phenomenon of corruption is still affecting the institutions of states and societies in many regions around the world, and continues to be widespread. He said corruption has prevailed in many countries, and the networks of corruption are linked to each other in many parts of the world.
He said the causes of the spread of corruption include the unfair distribution of wealth and the absence of justice and fairness, adding that fighting corruption would only be realised through a prompt and independent judiciary, without which no one can impose respect for the law.
President of the Republic of Rwanda Paul Kagame, in a videotaped speech, praised the role of HH the Amir and the valuable partnership with the UN which paved the way for this award, noting that fighting corruption is a global goal that requires concerted efforts.
He said fighting corruption may have a political cost, but the cost of ignoring it is much greater.
Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Dr Ghada Waly said that corruption is a betrayal of the public trust and a theft of the resources from the people who need them most.
“In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and the worst economic crisis in a century, we need trust in institutions and accountability in public spending more than ever,” Dr Ghada added.
“We need role models who help enhance integrity and transparency,” she stressed, expressing the gratitude of the UNODC to Qatar for establishing the Anti-Corruption Excellence Award.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions Alexandre Zouev delivered a speech during the honoring ceremony, in which he praised Qatar -- HH the Amir and the government - and the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Center in Doha.
HE said corruption is draining resources from government budgets, frustrating the results of judicial procedures and feeding criminal and extremist networks. He said corruption is present in all countries and is not limited to fragile states, however, the effect it creates may be more destructive in resource-hungry countries that are still working to develop their good governance system.
He underlined that corruption constitute an obstacle to lasting peace in conflict-hit societies, therefore combating it becomes more important during the current emergency condition due to the coronavirus pandemic, given the competition among community members to obtain personal protective equipment and access to healthcare and vaccinations.
Meanwhile, UN Special Advocate on the Prevention of Corruption and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Center Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri delivered a speech saying that choosing a country to organise the honoring ceremony of the Award is not random, rather studied in all respects.
He said Tunisia was chosen due to its history in fighting corruption, stressing that Tunisia is capable at the present time, just as it was, to push the Arab world towards more transparency and fighting corruption.
President of the National Anti-Corruption Authority (INLUCC) of Tunisia Judge Imed Boukhris also delivered a speech noting that Tunisia, which ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption, sees this day as a confirmation of its firm determination to tackle corruption with all available means and capabilities.
He said corruption is an epidemic that causes social diseases, impedes development, threatens political stability and social peace, and cultivates feelings of inequality among citizens. Therefore, all people and organisations have an important role in fighting corruption in order to safeguard the national sovereignty.
The monument of the 5th edition of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani Anti-Corruption Excellence Award was unveiled during the honoring ceremony. The monument, which appears in the form of a steel hand and exceeds 12 metres in height, symbolises all countries of the world joining together to fight corruption. It is a group of multiple engineering formations that represent all countries joining together in one hand capable of preventing corruption, while the voids represent transparency in the work.
The award ceremony marks the culmination of its fifth year of excellence and international presence. This award is based on Qatar’s belief in the necessity of serious work to combat the scourge of corruption in the world due to its grave danger to the future and progress of nations, the well-being of peoples and the provision of a decent life for them.
Tunis/Doha
His Highness the Amir of State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani congratulated the winners of the 5th edition of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award, thanking Tunisia for hosting the ceremony.
In a tweet, HH the Amir said, “I congratulate the winners of the Excellence Award in Combating Corruption for this season, which comes when the world is living in an exceptional circumstance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping that the efforts of international community will continue to consolidate the values of integrity and the rule of law. I also thank the brothers in Tunisia for hosting the award ceremony.”
Seven individuals and organisations from around the world were announced as the winners of the Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award on Wednesday.
In cooperation with the United Nations, the fifth edition of the awards ceremony took place in Tunis on Wednesday.
Winners of the Award this year were Dr Adam Graycar (Australia) and Dr Michael Levi (United Kingdom) in the Academic Research and Education category; the non-governmental organisation ONG Tolotsoa (Madagascar) and the Center for the Study of Democracy (Bulgaria) in the Youth Creativity and Engagement category; Riad Kobaissi (Lebanon) and Instituto Observatorio Politico e Socioambiental (Brazil) in the Innovation category; and Perdana Leadership Foundation (Malaysia) in the Outstanding Achievement category.
The honouring ceremony was attended by UN Special Advocate on the Prevention of Corruption and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Center (ROLACC) HE Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri, President of the National Anti-Corruption Authority (INLUCC) of Tunisia Judge Imed Boukhris, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions Alexandre Zouev, GCC representative of the UN Office against Drugs and Crime Judge Dr Hatem Ali, members of the Award’s Supreme Committee, the Advisory Board for selecting its winners, and a number of international guests.
In a videotaped speech, President of Tunisia Kais Said extended thanks to the organisers for the efforts in hosting this event, looking forward to new ideas for new means to combat corruption.
The Tunisian president said the phenomenon of corruption is still affecting the institutions of states and societies in many regions around the world, and continues to be widespread. He said corruption has prevailed in many countries, and the networks of corruption are linked to each other in many parts of the world.
He said the causes of the spread of corruption include the unfair distribution of wealth and the absence of justice and fairness, adding that fighting corruption would only be realised through a prompt and independent judiciary, without which no one can impose respect for the law.
President of the Republic of Rwanda Paul Kagame, in a videotaped speech, praised the role of HH the Amir and the valuable partnership with the UN which paved the way for this award, noting that fighting corruption is a global goal that requires concerted efforts.
He said fighting corruption may have a political cost, but the cost of ignoring it is much greater.
Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Dr Ghada Waly said that corruption is a betrayal of the public trust and a theft of the resources from the people who need them most.
“In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and the worst economic crisis in a century, we need trust in institutions and accountability in public spending more than ever,” Dr Ghada added.
“We need role models who help enhance integrity and transparency,” she stressed, expressing the gratitude of the UNODC to Qatar for establishing the Anti-Corruption Excellence Award.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions Alexandre Zouev delivered a speech during the honoring ceremony, in which he praised Qatar -- HH the Amir and the government - and the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Center in Doha.
HE said corruption is draining resources from government budgets, frustrating the results of judicial procedures and feeding criminal and extremist networks. He said corruption is present in all countries and is not limited to fragile states, however, the effect it creates may be more destructive in resource-hungry countries that are still working to develop their good governance system.
He underlined that corruption constitute an obstacle to lasting peace in conflict-hit societies, therefore combating it becomes more important during the current emergency condition due to the coronavirus pandemic, given the competition among community members to obtain personal protective equipment and access to healthcare and vaccinations.
Meanwhile, UN Special Advocate on the Prevention of Corruption and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Center Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri delivered a speech saying that choosing a country to organise the honoring ceremony of the Award is not random, rather studied in all respects.
He said Tunisia was chosen due to its history in fighting corruption, stressing that Tunisia is capable at the present time, just as it was, to push the Arab world towards more transparency and fighting corruption.
President of the National Anti-Corruption Authority (INLUCC) of Tunisia Judge Imed Boukhris also delivered a speech noting that Tunisia, which ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption, sees this day as a confirmation of its firm determination to tackle corruption with all available means and capabilities.
He said corruption is an epidemic that causes social diseases, impedes development, threatens political stability and social peace, and cultivates feelings of inequality among citizens. Therefore, all people and organisations have an important role in fighting corruption in order to safeguard the national sovereignty.
The monument of the 5th edition of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani Anti-Corruption Excellence Award was unveiled during the honoring ceremony. The monument, which appears in the form of a steel hand and exceeds 12 metres in height, symbolises all countries of the world joining together to fight corruption. It is a group of multiple engineering formations that represent all countries joining together in one hand capable of preventing corruption, while the voids represent transparency in the work.
The award ceremony marks the culmination of its fifth year of excellence and international presence. This award is based on Qatar’s belief in the necessity of serious work to combat the scourge of corruption in the world due to its grave danger to the future and progress of nations, the well-being of peoples and the provision of a decent life for them.
