(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA
DOHA: Qatar celebrates International Anti-Corruption Day, which falls on December 9 of each year, and it is paving its way on various development paths with confidence and speed, under the directives of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, which stresses the need to fight corruption in various ways and means and providing assistance to other countries in strengthening and supporting their ambitious programs in combating this phenomenon.
In order to strengthen its legislation and institutions concerned with preventing and combating corruption, Qatar has issued a number of legislative tools, including a general charter for the conduct and integrity of public officials, amending the penal code to criminalize bribery of foreign public servants and employees of public international institutions, and amending the criminal procedure code to enhance mechanisms of international cooperation and mutual legal assistance, in addition to the victims and witnesses protection act, and the law regulating the right to access information, which puts the country among the few countries in the world that have specialized legislation in this field, which ensures the transparency of the public sector and enhances the confidence of international and local investors, and enhances official and private work mechanisms.
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In 2016, the State of Qatar launched a unique international initiative, in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to allocate an annual international award for excellence in combating corruption, in the name of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to be presented annually on the International Anti-Corruption Day, in honor and appreciation of those who contributed to the global anti-corruption campaign, to serve as a tool to shed light on exemplary and noteworthy actions and good practices globally.
Within the framework of its involvement in the international anti-corruption track, the State of Qatar ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption by Decree No. (17) of 2007, to be the only binding international agreement in the field of preventing and combating corruption, especially as it has the force of law at the national level in accordance with Article (68) of the Constitution.
The UN Convention requires the states' parties to strengthen their legal and institutional systems related to integrity and transparency, and to establish specialized bodies in this field, so that the State of Qatar takes several steps to strengthen the institutional framework concerned with integrity and transparency, among them is the issuance of Amiri Resolution No. (84) of 2007 to establish the national committee for integrity and transparency, with the formation of the relevant national authorities, and Amiri Resolution No. (75) of 2011 to establish the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority as a body specialized in promoting integrity and transparency, with the aim of achieving oversight, transparency and integrity of the public office, preventing the occurrence of crimes affecting public money or the public office.
Amiri Resolution No. (6) of 2015 was issued to reorganize the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority, with the aim of focusing more on the aspect of prevention and contributing to achieving the highest indicators of integrity and transparency in the field of public service and combating corruption in all its forms and manifestations, with granting the authority a moral personality, and making it directly dependent on HH the Amir, with the aim of granting it complete independence.
The work of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority stems from building on what has been achieved in the country over the past decades, as it is particularly concerned with developing strategies, legislation and internal systems in national bodies related to integrity and transparency, and providing training, capacity building for public officials, raising public awareness about preventing and combating corruption, implementing the United Nations Convention against Corruption and related international instruments, and coordinating with relevant national authorities.
The celebration of the International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9 this year comes with a slogan: 'UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption'.