The Director-General of the Payments Department at the Central Bank of Iraq, Duha Abdul-Karim, won the International Anti-Corruption Heroes Award presented by the US State Department, to be among 12 personalities around the world.

The honor of Doha comes as a tribute to her efforts in combating corruption, as she has succeeded in designing a credit card infrastructure in Iraq that facilitates digital salary payments, which has contributed to uncovering ghost employees and curbing corruption.

Duha has been working at the Central Bank of Iraq since 1993 and is currently holding the duties of General Manager of the Payments Department there (Al Jazeera)

Courage, perseverance

Duha told Al-Jazeera Net that she continued her educational career and obtained a bachelor's degree in administration and economics from the University of Baghdad in 1991.

She adds that she was appointed in the Central Bank of Iraq in 1993, and gradually worked in the career, and currently occupies the duties of Director General of the Payments Department, and Iraq is also represented in many international and local conferences and committees.

For his part, Professor of Economics and Statistics Dr. Haitham Taha says that Doha arrived at her position through her efforts that qualified her to strive and form her own vision in the administration of one of the most important departments in the Central Bank.

And he explained to Al-Jazeera Net that it was courageous in transferring technology and applying it in an environment that expelled competencies, and in light of various types of resistance to change, as well as doing what is like rebuilding from among a huge rubble of chaos.

Taha considered that Doha was courageous in transferring technology and applying it in an environment that expelled competencies (Al-Jazeera Net)

Digital payments

Duha talks about the great challenges she faces, as she works in managing electronic payment systems, and in a sensitive economic institution, the Central Bank, and is responsible for managing a number of electronic payment projects.

On the nature of these challenges, she clarifies that her mission requires building infrastructure at the level of the financial sector, changing the culture of a society, and communicating with the international community, stressing that her love for her work in all its details and her belief in the goal humiliated many of the difficulties she faced.

Duha indicated that one of its most important goals that it aspires to achieve is changing the payment map in Iraq, and switching to electronic payment in all its fields, and to achieve this came the interest in building an infrastructure in the banking sector that can be relied upon according to the best international standards.

She confirms that these are not the efforts of one person, but rather the direction of the institution in all its departments and employees, considering that building a work team believes in the goals and adopted by those who are the most important elements of success in work, praising the efforts of the employees of the central bank and the banking and financial sector.

In this context, Taha points to the advanced countries' use of information management systems, smart management and modern approaches to the digital economy in improving the quality of life and completely eliminating corruption, expressing his belief that any attempt in this direction will face strong resistance by "mafias of corruption" in Iraq, because Realizes that digital systems will completely eliminate the mess of dealings on which corruption systems live.

Amira stressed the need to provide an appropriate work environment for Iraqi women (Al-Jazeera Net)

International award

Duha expresses her pride in obtaining this award, as it raised the name of Iraq, and issued the names of countries from which the heroes of the fight against corruption emerged, stressing that this would motivate her to continue the same approach and provide more.

For her part, the media activist Amira Al-Jaber congratulated Ms.Doha for this achievement, by leading the 12 best personalities in the world in combating corruption frameworks, especially when this corruption is in an important institution such as the Central Bank of Iraq, and all the suspicious methods and working relationships surrounding this institution.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Amira considered the Doha initiative is very important in laying down a sound path for the basis of credit cards that facilitate the state’s work in monitoring the process of paying salaries in a digital manner, which facilitates the detection of all phantom employees in the state, given that the Central Bank institution is directly linked to the payment of salaries and employee dues. .

Duha was honored for its anti-corruption efforts and its success in designing a credit card infrastructure in Iraq (European)

anti-Corruption

According to the State Department's statement, the recently launched International Anti-Corruption Champions Award comes to demonstrate the United States' commitment to eradicating the scourge of corruption, and to honor individuals who have demonstrated leadership, courage and influence in preventing, detecting and combating corruption.

Taha says that Iraqi women in the civil service have demonstrated great capabilities that are not inferior to men, and it was rare to hear cases of corruption in Iraqi institutions run by women.

And the professor of statistics notes that after 2003 and to this day, administrative and financial corruption has become a characteristic that is almost organized by an institutional culture, because the public office was linked to the political approach, and yet the masculine quality remained dominant in the scene, but to a lesser extent.

On the reason for granting this award, Taha points out that the developed world is concerned about corruption in the third world countries, as it is the main barrier to global economic partnerships, and it is considered one of the most important threats to security and stability in different countries of the world.

Congratulations to Mrs. Doha Mohammed for being honored by the US Secretary of State for her pioneering work in combating corruption in Iraq.

Ms. Mohammed designed and led an initiative for the Central Bank of Iraq to create a nationwide credit card infrastructure that facilitates digital salary payments.

https://t.co/0fpaWU1EzG pic.twitter.com/x2NCp8XIY2

US Embassy Baghdad (@USEmbBaghdad) February 23, 2021

The success of the woman

Arab women have an important and long-standing role in making the economy, and it can be said that Iraqi women are capable, and among that is the prominence of some of them in the economy, according to Amira.

The activist stresses the need to provide opportunities and a suitable work environment for Iraqi women in particular, because Iraq’s political crisis is a result of an economic crisis, expressing her belief that women have proven over many years and in many forums that they are able to make a difference in the process of drawing their real role.

While Duha believes that Iraqi society in various fields supports and respects women, and on a personal level, "I received great support from my family and colleagues, and this helped me reach what I am today."

It commends the presence of many women leaders in the Iraqi banking sector, and does not rule out the existence of various challenges in the fields of work, but women can overcome them with confidence in themselves, strength and hard work to prove to everyone that they are able to succeed and achieve goals.