On the sidelines of the 9th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, UNODC Corruption and Economic Crime Branch organized the Special Event on the Role of National Parliaments and other Legislative Bodies in Preventing and Combating Corruption. The meeting highlighted the challenges encountered, progress achieved, and opportunities identified in the fight against corruption by national parliaments and other legislative bodies.
PAM President, Hon. Gennaro Migliore, addressed the audience with other high-level panelists: H.E. Dr. Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri, President of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) and Member of the Shura Council of the State of Qatar; Hon. Mr. Laurent Wehrli, Member of the National Council of Switzerland; H.E. Mr. Adel Bin Abdul Rahman Al Asoomi, President of the Arab Parliament; and H.E. Amb. Brigitte Brenner, IPU Permanent Observer to the UN in Vienna.
He conveyed the strong commitment of PAM in fighting corruption since 2009, when it was established PAM Special Task Force on Organized Crime. In 2014, the Assembly furthered its engagement to prevent and combat this phenomenon through the production of the Report and Resolution Strategies to Combat Public Sector Corruption in the Mediterranean. The documents emphasized the positive relationship in PAM countries between levels of corruption and several political factors, such as voice and accountability, government effectiveness, political rights, and civil liberties.
In addition, over this year, PAM established several partnerships with key organizations to take concrete steps ahead in tackling corruption. Today, a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed with UNODC Executive Director, Ghada Waly.
In closure, PAM President stated: “Much work remains to be done. All our countries must ratify the Conventions against corruption. Parliamentary diplomacy is key, and PAM, as one of the main exponents of this type of mechanism within the Euro-Mediterranean region, has great scope for action in enabling and facilitating regional anti-corruption efforts.”
All the participants agreed on the importance which would have the production of a comprehensive parliamentary guide including examples of anticorruption at the national, regional, and international levels. Mutual cooperation and capacity building in governance, transparency and integrity are key to eradicate this chronic disease from our societies.//