The Coalition for Accountability and Integrity "AMAN" has launched the National Campaign to raise the awareness towards The United Nation Convention Against Corruption which became valid on 14/12/2005 representing an important step in the corruption fighting way all over the world.

 The campaign was launched, through the workshop that AMAN arranged in Ramallah and in Gaza, attended by government officials, and representatives of local and international non-governmental organizations.

 Dr.Azmi Al Shuaibi "AMAN Coalition's General Coordinator" said: The partnership and the initiative between government corporations and the civil ones that AMAN adopted to launch the campaign for the implementation of the agreement approved contribute in promoting the principles of transparency and integrity in the social and national work.

 Moreover, Al Shuaibi added that AMAN Coalition has adopted a work strategy for the year 2006 characterized by its comprehension and continuity to guarantee the participation of the largest number of institutions and organizations to diminish corruption within the Palestinian society, he expects amassed efforts from the NGOs to activate this convention during 2006.

Furthermore, Al Shuaibi mentioned that AMAN programs are sponsored by the governments of Norway and Netherlands, the UNDP, and Transparency international.

 He pointed out that the UN convention against corruption isn't compulsory for Palestine, because of it's currently status for the time being in the United Nations. However, AMAN decided after some talks with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to take the initiative to announce the unilateral adherence of the Palestinian authority to the convention through an official statement of the Palestinian Prime Minster conveyed to the United Nations General Secretary.

 Dr. Al shuaibi stated that the Palestinian NGOs realize the fact that they are not alternatives of the PNA, but they work to support it to implement its reform plans, this is why, we took the initiative to form a committee with the membership of governmental and non-governmental organizations to activate the convention and have it applied in Palestine.

 In Addition, AL Shuaibi expressed the deep desire of AMAN Coalition that each Palestinian NGO could allocate a part of its programs to fight corruption and prevent its spread, and he added that AMAN has a comprehensive program to fight corruption in the NGOs and it will function during the year 2006, besides the National Campaign that supports the implementation of the United Nations convention against corruption.

Finally, Dr. Al Shauibi emphasized that AMAN had invited governmental as well as non governmental organization aiming to establish a national network that can fight all features of corruption in Palestine, in addition to some of the international organizations working in Palestine, to raise the awareness of the importance of fighting and to promote the essentials of transparency in the NGOs, besides the support of reform programs of the PNA.

 Getting Sufficient Information

Mr. Nidal Hasan, the program officer of AMAN Coalition, stated that AMAN's objectives during 2006-2007, are to guarantee the access of Palestinians to sufficient information on the reasons of corruption and its grave consequences; advocate to have the principles of  integrity and transparency applied within the Palestinian public sector and to establish a comprehensive responsible coalition characterized by the credibility and sustainability to lead a genuine process against corruption in Palestine.

Mr. Hasan has also mentioned that the strategic goals of the coalition aim to elevate the ethical and professional criteria of work within both of private and public sectors institutions; to reinforce the independency of media instruments through promoting their capabilities to fight corruption, in addition to improve the ability of the public institutions to safeguard information to the public; to call for the setting of regulations which control the prevalence of law and the balanced isolation of the three instruments of the authority and to develop more partnerships with different organizations functioning in relevant fields on the local, Arab and international levels.

In the same context, Mr. Hasan stated that the expected results of the program are represented in the mobilization of the civil society and public and private sectors to face the reasons behind corruption as well as the sequent effects of it, through the implementation of a highly efficient program to decrease the reasons behind corruption.

Finally, he emphasized that AMAN activities will be divided into three main categories; firstly: activities which target the different classes of the Palestinian society in general; secondly: activities which focus on specific purposes such as the isolation of authorities and free access to information and thirdly: series of supportive activities such as conducting of the "Palestinian Day of Transparency", distribution of brochures and leaflets about the coalition and its objectives and activities.