The Shura Council State of Qatar

HE Speaker of the Shura Council and Chairman of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud called on the international community to address the scourge of corruption, effectively implement the international commitments related to corruption, and take the necessary measures to enhance transparency in management and accountability, in order to eliminate this global threat.

HE Al Mahmoud said that the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), as the only international network of parliamentarians, calls on the international community to strengthen cooperation and partnership with parliamentarians to fulfill their commitment to the international anti-corruption standards.

This came in a speech delivered by HE the Speaker of the Shura Council via videoconferencing, before the special session of the UN General Assembly on the challenges and measures to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation, held in New York on Saturday.

HE Al Mahmoud stressed the significance of convening this emergency session at this time while countries are working to accelerate recovery processes and vaccination against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these processes are harmed by the abuse of power by those who are in the centers of power and unsupervised who exploit the public money.

HE the Speaker of the Shura Council noted that large sums of money are currently being disbursed as a means of financial stimulus through several mechanisms, including tax incentives, the provision of vaccines, social protection programs, and small business incentives, among other mechanisms. HE believed that while it is absolutely necessary to provide incentives for economic recovery, it is also important to ensure that this financial aid is provided to those who need it most.

HE Al Mahmoud underlined the important and significant role of parliamentarians in combating corruption, especially at this time when the world is facing the coronavirus pandemic. He said that the role of parliamentarians is becoming increasingly important at this critical time to ensure that these huge funds that have been allocated do not go to a few corrupt. Therefore, parliaments and parliamentarians must exercise oversight over the work of these people to the fullest extent in order to protect public funds from misconduct and enhance accountability for corrupt individuals, especially since parliamentarians are the guardians of public money, and they are responsible for enacting good legislation. The parliamentarians are the main stakeholders in setting budgets, they are role models in their societies and, as political figures, have a strong mandate to prevent and combat corruption, therefore they must be part of the solution not a part of the problem.