In solidarity with the outcomes of the International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC), held in Malaysia in September 2015, the Coalition of Integrity and Accountability-AMAN launched a petition campaign to collect signatures of Palestinian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). More than 100 institutions agreed to adopt and issue the following statement:
We, the undersigned organizations recognize the responsibility we bear in regard to combating corruption. We also realize the importance of the conference held (mentioned above) witnessing the participation of anti-corruption activists from all over the world including Palestine. It is worth noting that Palestine has come a long way in building anti-corruption efforts including establishing a growing movement to tackle corruption and prevent impunity at the global level.
We, as volunteers in the global anti-corruption movement, affirm our commitment to the following in order to put an end to corruption.
Punishment is considered part and parcel of combating corruption all over the world. And since enriching corrupt leaders does not only constitute a violation of the law and justice, but also leads to the erosion of public trust in institutions and laws that aim at protecting the interest of citizens, it is therefore important to put a stop to impunity. This requires the joint efforts of governments, CS, and private sector institutions. We as CS are obliged to put pressure on governments to urge them to commit to principles and procedures that promote integrity and ensure that the corrupt is brought to justice.
It is important to put an end to the corrupt enjoying proceeds and incomes generated through corrupt acts by ensuring that no corruption earned proceeds and revenues are smuggled outside a given country as this constitutes part of preventing impunity. In this regard, we affirm our commitment to developing and or maintaining legal frameworks that prevent illicit gain by those who seek it. This is one way of expressing our commitment to international laws as well as to national laws and procedures.
We will also intensify our efforts to promote transparency in the disclosure of the real owners of companies and real-estate properties. We will also work to recover looted proceeds of corruption in a transparent and accountable manner. Moreover, we will ensure the return of assets for the benefit of the Palestinian citizens in accordance with Chapter V of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
We as Palestinian CSOs do affirm our commitment to the Business Anti-Corruption Portal (BACP), which governs international business and transactions in preventing corruption, and or the UNCAC. This is in addition to our commitment to demand from and urge the Palestinian government to adopt and effectively implement laws that criminalize foreign bribery.
We, as Palestinian CSOs, continue to confirm our responsibility to combating corruption in our country as well as abroad; we shall also seek to protect whistle-blowers and journalists from prosecution and revenge acts due to their courage and publishing of corruption cases. In addition, we shall seek to enforce the implementation of the UNCAC and its mechanisms.
