The head of the Federal Integrity Commission, Haider Hanoun, affirmed today, Wednesday, the Commission’s great interest in international cooperation and coordination with international and regional organizations, especially those affiliated with the United Nations, during his meeting at the Commission’s headquarters with Christina Albertin, Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Middle East and North Africa.
Hanoun noted, according to a statement by the Commission, that ‘the Commission has concluded many bilateral memorandums of understanding with several countries within the framework of the United Nations and Arab anti-corruption agreements, and in compliance with the obligations contained therein,’ indicating that ‘those concluded memorandums and others that are on their way to be concluded contribute to the exchange of experiences and the development of skills of the cadres of oversight bodies, especially in the field of prevention of corruption and efforts to combat it, and
contributing to facilitating requests for legal assistance in extradition and recovery, and overcoming the obstacles that may encounter them.’
Hanoun praised the ‘great cooperation and coordination between the Commission and United Nations organizations, especially the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), noting that the partnership between them led to the holding of many programmes, workshops and seminars, including work on developing a code of conduct and anti-corruption compliance programmes in the private sector, touching on some of the Commission’s measures in its interest and focus on international cooperation, including developing the Commission’s cadres working in this field, and expanding the administrative formation under which they work.’
He continued, “The Commission continues to present projects at the international level that are compatible with national projects and have acceptance in the United Nations agreement, referring to the six-year national anti-corruption strategy that i
s planned to be drawn up in cooperation with (UNODC), which includes categories that were not previously included, noting the work to develop the Commission’s cadres in the field of the investigative journalism and government media, and the importance of this aspect in “our battle against corruption,’ noting that ‘the media battle contributes to supporting the battle that our investigators are waging against the perpetrators of corruption crimes. They contribute to educating citizens by transmitting information, exposing those who trespass on public funds, and spreading the culture of integrity and the sanctity of public money among society.
According to the statement, Albertine praised ‘the development in the Commission’s work, its response to commitment to the decisions of international agreements, and its cooperation with United Nations organizations, stressing the importance of joint work that led to positive outcomes, indicating that (UNODC) works with the Commission to develop oversight capabilities an
d considers it one of the most important priorities.”
While Ali Al-Barir, Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Iraq, stressed ‘the continuation of cooperation between the two sides, and the importance of following up on the observations that were raised in previous meetings, in addition to his praise of the work of the Commission and the members communicating with him.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency