Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani with Their Excellencies the Ministers and other dignitaries during the opening of GOPAC conference, yesterday.
Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani attended yesterday morning the opening of the 7th Conference of the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) at the Doha Sheraton Hotel.
The opening was attended by a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs, Ministers and heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Qatar. A large number of parliamentarians and civil society representatives from around the world are also attending the two-day conference which will conclude today.
Addressing the opening of the conference, Speaker of the Shura Council, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, welcomed all the participants, noting that the State of Qatar’s hosting of the conference coincided with the International Anti-Corruption Day (December 9) and the announcement of the winners of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award in Kigali, Rwanda.
H E the Speaker affirmed that Qatar’s hosting of the Conference is a confirmation of the determination and sincere efforts made by the State of Qatar under the leadership of H H the Amir to combat corruption.
His Excellency stressed that Qatar strongly supported all international efforts to combat corruption, and stood with all its capabilities with GOPAC and its programmes aimed at eliminating corruption or countering its effects.
H E Dr Fadli Zon, Chairman of the GOPAC, stressed in his speech the importance of cooperation and partnership between all global anti-corruption organisations. H E Dr. Fadli Zon emphasised the role of parliamentarians in combating corruption, achieving integrity, adhering to the codes of conduct and creating more strict rules to combat corruption.
The GOPAC Chairman called on global leaders to play the required moral role and help parliamentarians in their campaigns to achieve integrity. He further said that corruption represented additional threats to the rule of law and societies. “Corruption also hinders equality, reduces confidence in local organisations.”
He said that achieving integrity and combating corruption needed several things including stakeholder contributions, political will and the desire to fight corruption through asset control and accountability.
He said that GOPAC has played important role in fighting corruption since its establishment by its participation in a number of networks to fight corruption and its work in 62 regions in the world to implement law and good governance, issue a number of publications and develop a special guidebook which will guide parliamentarians on how to work with each other and with partners to achieve sustainable development.
The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), H E Gabriela Cuevas Barron, also addressed the conference.
The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union said that parliamentarians had a great responsibility to reduce corruption and find legal solutions to end it in all its forms and at all levels.
Barron praised Qatar’s role in hosting GOPAC conference and the role of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in combating corruption around the world at all levels. She also stressed the importance of integrity in achieving values and principles.
She explained that the IPU is concerned with the goals of sustainable development and changing the world during the next ten years as well as achieving the sustainable development goals, adding that the world needs to change policies and institutions, and to do this and reach a real good result it should build public confidence, effective institutions, conduct inclusive processes and accelerate progress in this area.
She also noted the importance of the role of parliaments in signing international agreements and providing solutions for citizens, and the role of parliaments in translating those international agreements into reality, transforming them into local laws and allocating budgets for these priorities and holding governments accountable to the mechanisms for implementing these agreements.
