The activities of the fifth session of the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani International Award for Excellence in Combating Corruption kicked off today in Tunisia, coinciding with the International Anti-Corruption Day, which falls on December 9 of each year.
The ceremony included the inauguration of the award's memorial, which was held opposite the Palais des Congrès in central Tunis.
The monument, which appears in the form of a steel hand, symbolizes the solidarity of all countries of the world as one to fight corruption, and the monument consists of multiple engineering formations that represent the countries together, to be a hand capable of preventing the spread of corruption, and the voids represent transparency in the artwork.
In a recorded speech at the inauguration ceremony, Tunisian President Qais Said said that there is no room for curbing the spread of corruption except by ensuring the dignity of everyone, justice and fairness, adding that there is no room for fighting corruption except through an accomplished and independent judiciary.
In the context, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement - on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day - that corruption thrives in crises as is the case in the Corona pandemic, calling for effective control measures to reduce corruption.
Transparency International defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power and its exploitation for private gain.
The definition applies to the three sectors of governance: private, public, and civil society, and it also includes the systemic or individual abuse of power.
The banner of integrity
In line with the world’s war against the Corona pandemic, the United Nations has chosen the slogan “Recovery Under the Banner of Integrity” to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day 2020.
In his statement, the Secretary-General of the United Nations adds that corruption is an immoral criminal act that thrives in times of crisis, as is the case in light of the Corona pandemic.
The United Nations stresses that combating corruption during the pandemic requires the participation of strong bodies as well as the protection of journalists and whistle-blowers in parallel with the harmonization of national legislation with the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
Since 1995, the non-governmental organization Transparency International has produced the Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks countries according to their levels of corruption in the public sector.
The organization’s latest report indicates that Denmark, New Zealand and Finland lead the world in combating corruption, while at the bottom are 3 Arab countries, which are Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, as well as South Sudan.