Agadir – International experts called for a strong and coordinated approach to fight corruption globally. The call for action was issued at a seminar held remotely by the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and Fight against Corruption (INPPLC) on Thursday, January 21.
The experts insisted on the necessity of striking a balance between overcoming the challenges of the pandemic while remaining vigilant to limit the spread of corruption.
At the virtual conference, the president of INPPLC, Mohammed Bachir Rachdi, maintained the importance of capacity-building. He did so while stressing the need for a more in-depth understanding of the most efficient means to reconcile between emergency measures and measures adopted to curb the crisis and its consequences.
Rachdi warned that the effects of the pandemic could lead to an uptick in corruption, and while the surge of corruption can not be explained solely by COVID-19, it has certainly put significant pressure on the most vulnerable communities.
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Mirna Bouhabib, the Deputy Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for North Africa and the Middle East, also pointed to the need for cooperation in order to fight corruption at a global level. Furthermore, the UNODC recognizes the fact that eliminating corruption is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all United Nations member states.
She urged all parties of the Arab Convention against Corruption to expand their risk management and internal control systems in order to allow for increased transparency and accountability.
Parallel to the seminar, in a separate government council meeting on Thursday, the head of government, Saad Eddine El Otmani, approved bill 46.19, which aligns with goals outlined by the INPPLC.
The bill aims to strengthen the INPPLC as a governmental institution. It intends to help the institution to fulfil its duties in a “cooperative framework”, allowing institutional coordination with the authorities, according to a statement read by Saaid Amzazi, the Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research.
The virtual seminar is part of the realization of the action plan put in place at the third session of the Conference of States Parties to the Arab Convention against Corruption.
