Shura Council Speaker highlights parliamentarians' role in combatting corruption

Doha: Speaker of the Shura Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, the Chairman of Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), underlined the importance of the special session on combating corruption to be held by the United Nations General Assembly in June, describing it as a very important event that will give a great political impetus to global efforts against corruption.

In his speech at the opening session of the Regional Symposium of the Pacific Island Parliamentarians Against Corruption, which was held yesterday via video conference and jointly organised by the GOPAC and the United Nations Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project, H E the Speaker called for good preparation for this session, emphasising that GOPAC has an effective role in organising it and that it will actively participate in its work and produce positive results that contribute strongly to fighting corruption around the world.

Speaker of the Shura Council praised the role of the parliaments of the Pacific region in combating corruption and the initiative of all 14 island countries in the region to sign the UN anti-corruption document.

He said that GOPAC, of which he presides, is proud to work with the (UN-PRAC) project, which aims to assist parliamentarians in performing their duties in oversight, enactment of the legislation, and important roles in curbing corruption.

H E Al Mahmoud referred to the COVID-19 pandemic’s negative effects on global efforts to combat corruption, pointing out that the pandemic has led to a massive mobilization of resources, which may lead to creating loopholes for anti-corruption efforts if the necessary measures are not taken to address it.

The Speaker of the Shura Council concluded his speech by stressing the role of parliaments and parliamentarians in combating corruption, given that parliaments are the main institutions in adopting the necessary legislation in this field, bear the burden of protecting and guarding the correct disbursement of public funds, and have the power to influence the national policies of countries.