‘Anti-Corruption Award reflects emphasis on sustainable development goals’

HE the United Nations Special Advocate for the Prevention of Corruption and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Center (ROLACC) Dr Ali bin Fetais al-Marri praised His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for attending the ceremony of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award, which was held in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, yesterday.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), HE Dr al-Marri said that His Highness the Amir’s attendance and honouring of the winners of this annual award affirm the keenness of the wise leadership on combating corruption and give a greater value to the award which was an initiative by His Highness the Amir in agreement with the former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon in 2015.
HE Dr al-Marri underlined that the award has started to create a global concept that the sustainable development will not be achieved without fighting corruption and establishing the rule of law.
He stressed that Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award has attracted international media attention from all countries and international organisations who saw the impact of this award in past editions and its effectiveness in promoting a global culture of fighting corruption.
He noted that choosing the Rwandan capital Kigali to distribute the awards reflects the appreciation of the State of Qatar and the United Nations to the role played by Rwandan President Paul Kagame in combating corruption and building the state of law and justice, after his success in leading Rwanda towards reconciliation, construction, progress and prosperity.
HE Dr al-Marri said that the specialised committees for selecting the award winners are fair, specialised and include elites, noting an agreement scheduled to be signed soon with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to establish a UN training centre in Rwanda to train UN staff in Africa.
For his part, ambassador of Qatar to Rwanda Abdullah bin Mohamed al-Sayyid said in a statement to Qatar News Agency that the award with its fourth categories represents a contribution by Qatar to the efforts of combating corruption, promoting justice and the rule of law and establishing transparency and good governance, in co-operation with international bodies and organisations.
He stressed the keenness of the State of Qatar on strengthening the co-operation with the Republic of Rwanda and developing the bilateral relations. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award was founded by the Doha-based Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Center (ROLACC) which Board of Trustees is chaired by HE Dr Ali bin Fetais al-Marri, the Attoreny-General and the UN Special Advocate for the Prevention of Corruption.
The award was announced by HE Dr Ali bin Fetais al-Marri under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani during the Eighth Annual Conference of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), which was held in St Petersburg, Russia, in November 2015. The award is presented annually on the International Anti-Corruption Day, which falls on December 9, in honour and appreciation of those who contributed to the global campaign against corruption.
The award stems from the belief of the State of Qatar in the need to work hard to combat the scourge of corruption in the world because of its grave danger to the future of nations and their progress and the welfare of peoples. 
HE Dr al-Marri hailed the continued support of His Highness the Amir to the United Nations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
This support stems from His Highness the Amir’s belief in the importance of the justice and the rule of law in building civilisations, HE Dr al-Marri said, in his speech at the ceremony honouring the winners of the fourth edition of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award, held at Kigali Convention Centre.
Dr al-Marri referred to the past civilisations, starting from the Greek civilisation, to the Roman civilisation, the Islamic civilisation and then the Renaissance of Europe which were all established on the basis of justice and the rule of law, noting that those civilisations ended only when they were unable to implement justice and respect the rule of law.
HE Dr al-Marri highlighted the prominent role carried out by Rwandan President Paul Kagame in transferring his country, within 15 years, from a country suffering from civil wars and famine to the eighth developing economy in the world.
Addressing the Rwandan president, Dr al-Marri added, “You have fought corruption and so you have made a strong economy in which growth continues ... You have fought corruption and so you have been able to bring in a foreign investor looking for a state of law that preserves his rights from influential people .. You have made the Rwandan miracle.”
HE Dr al-Marri reviewed the history of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award, noting the organisation of its first edition at the UN headquarters in Vienna, the second at the UN headquarters in Geneva and the third in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.