Qatar’s Attorney General Dr Ali Fetais Al Marri with Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Antonio Maria Costa after a press briefing yesterday. (SALIM MATRAMKOT)

DOHA: History was made here yesterday as 142 countries which are signatory to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) agreed on a mechanism to monitor its implementation.

As a tribute to the Qatari capital where the member-countries came up with a consensus after five tiring days of deliberations, the agreement was aptly termed ‘Doha Mechanism of Implementation’.

Doha will always be remembered in the global fight against corruption, an overjoyed Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, said in remarks to reporters at the end of the marathon event.

“We were optimistic it will happen. It is people’s Convention,” added Costa as he addressed the press with Dr Ali Fetais Al Marri, Qatar’s Attorney General who presided over the conference.

He earlier told the plenary session: “This agreement will not end corruption, but countries will now be judged by their actions and not by their promises (to curb corruption).”

The consensus makes it possible to assess not only countries as to where they stand in combating corruption but it would also be possible to attempt global analyses of the socio-economic menace, its trends and spread, said Costa.

The legally binding Convention obliges member-states to prevent and criminalise corruption, promote international cooperation, recover stolen assets and help improve technical assistance and information exchange.

Requests for funding are to be made to the UN General Assembly, but Costa while replying to questions from reporters alluded to the possibility of Qatar specially pooling in some funds for the purpose.

“Qatar has always cooperated with us,” he said, sounding discreet while evading a pointed query on whether Doha would be committing funds for the Convention’s implementation.

Under the new mechanism, the member-states will be monitored every five years to see how they are living up to their obligations.

Findings based on self-assessments and peer review by experts, will be compiled in country review reports. Not full but only executive summary reports will be published.

The country reports will identify gaps in national anti-corruption laws and practices. Self-assessment checklists based on a new software would reveal a country’s strengths and weaknesses.

Costa urged businesses to align their anti-corruption practices with the UN anti-corruption Convention. “CEOs—come around the table, and pledge not to cheat—and ensure that everyone is playing by the same rules,” he said. But the NGOs said they were not happy with the outcome of the conference.

The Peninsula

See also pages 2 & 3