THE 5TH EDITION of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award came to a conclusion on Wednesday in Tunis. This year’s recipients include Dr. Adam Graycar from Australia and Dr. Michael Levi from the United Kingdom in the Academic Research and Education category. Madagascar-based non-governmental organisation ONG Tolotsoa and the Center for the Study of Democracy in Bulgaria won in the Youth Creativity and Engagement category, while Riad Kobaissi (Lebanon) and Instituto Observatorio Politico e Socioambiental (Brazil) were judged the best in the Innovation category. Perdana Leadership Foundation from Malaysia won in the Outstanding Achievement category. Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, while congratulating the winners, hoped efforts by the international community will help consolidate the values of integrity and the rule of law. The Amir also thanked Tunisia for hosting the awards this year. In a video message on the occasion, President of the Republic of Tunisia H E Kais Said highlighted the need to achieve fair distribution of wealth and justice in societies in order to tackle corruption. He also stressed the need for an independent judiciary to ensure rule of law in societies. In his message, President of the Republic of Rwanda H E Paul Kagame praised the role played by H H the Amir, in partnership with the UN, in instituting the Sheikh Tamim Award. He said fighting corruption may have a political cost, but the cost of ignoring it was much greater. Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime H E Dr. Ghada Waly also thanked the State of Qatar for establishing the anti-corruption award, saying people all over the world needed trust in institutions and accountability of public spending at a time when the world is going through a pandemic and the worst economic crisis in a century. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions, Alexandre Zouev, while addressing the awards ceremony, said corruption was draining resources from government budgets, frustrating the results of judicial procedures and feeding criminal and extremist networks. He said while corruption was present in all countries, the effect it creates may be more destructive in less developed countries. He said corruption was an obstacle to lasting peace in conflicthit societies, therefore combating it becomes more important in times like the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Sheikh Tamim Award has played a pivotal role in the fight against corruption and is contributing to global efforts to achieve transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.
