Civil society organisations call for larger role in anti-corruption efforts - Jordan  

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) AMMAN — Members of local, regional and international civil society organisations (CSO), led by Transparency International (TI), on Saturday called for a larger role in international efforts to fight corruption and mobilise more efforts to combat the phenomenon.

The preparatory meeting was held on the eve of the Dead Sea Conference of State Parties the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Representatives of 80 countries that ratified the convention are taking part in conference, organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

In the opening session of the preparatory conference, in which members of the Coalition of Civil Society Friends of UNCAC took part, speakers focused on UNCAC as a major tool CSOs can utilise to fight corruption.

The meeting sought to improve understanding of UNCAC, and how CSOs can use the convention in their day-to-day activities at the national level, galvanise civil support for UNCAC and build consensus around civil society positions to take to the UNCAC conference, especially the issues topping its agenda.

In the session, which was presided over by Transparency International Chairperson Huguette Labelle, Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Muhyiddine Touq underlined Jordan's efforts to enhance the partnership between the government and CSOs in issues like human rights and the fight against corruption.

Touq, who heads the organising committee of the five-day conference, said the participants will discuss three main issues: Monitoring the implementation of UNCAC, ways to ensure recovery of looted assets and technical assistance expected from industrialised countries to help the developing world implement the provisions of this international pact.

President of TI's Jordanian chapter Bassem Sakkijha reviewed local efforts to push forward the anti-corruption campaign, saying the government had taken commendable steps in involving civil society in the drafting of relevant laws such as the Anti-Corruption Commission Law, which was endorsed by Parliament earlier this year.

In its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, which covers 163 countries, the global graft watchdog ranked Jordan 40, with a score of 5.3, a drop of three places on last year's ranking when the country scored an index of 5.7.

In their final statement, participants in yesterday's conference said since corruption is the result of the failure of existing systems in protecting public assets, grassroots organisations are naturally entitled to have a say in efforts to curtail it

They also called for protecting activists campaigning against corruption, demanding that governments incorporate legal provisions to safeguard civil society campaigners against retaliation into their legislative structure.

The final statement also urged participants in the UNAC conference to establish reviewing mechanisms based on transparency and accountability.