Tashkent: Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan H E Akmal Burkhanov has lauded Qatar’s efforts to combat corruption, hailing Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s anti-corruption efforts, which resulted in His Highness establishing the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award (ACE Award).
Speaking with Qatar News Agency (QNA) in Tashkent, he said that corruption was a plague that afflicted the whole world, including Uzbekistan, with no single country being 100-percent free from it — a fact that highlights the ACE Award’s great value to recognise standout anti-corruption activists worldwide.
He said the ACE Award was a valued appreciation for NGOs, civil society, and the press for their roles in exposing and fighting corruption, elaborating that the global anti-corruption campaign must go beyond government agencies.
Describing corruption as a global plague that has diversified its forms recently, he underscored the importance of international cooperation and the exchange of experiences among countries that have scored great anti-corruption progress.
Burkhanov voiced hopes his country would further collaborate and exchange expertise with Qatar to root out corruption, stressing Doha’s world-class anti-corruption achievements. He also spoke about the meetings he held with officials from several Qatari anti-corruption agencies, including the Public Prosecution and the State Audit Bureau, as part of his Doha visit in October.
During that visit, Qatar’s State Audit Bureau and Uzbekistan’s Anti-Corruption Agency sealed an agreement to bolster bilateral cooperation to combat corruption.
He hailed the anti-corruption efforts exerted by Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Center of Qatar (ROLACC), and UN Special Advocate on the Prevention of Corruption, H E Dr. Ali bin Fetais Al Marri. Commenting on Uzbekistan’s reforms to battle corruption, he highlighted the several steps taken within the country’s public policy, including the introduction of a special anti-corruption law and an independent Anti-Corruption Agency.
Reports from international organisations concerned with measuring corruption have shown Uzbekistan advanced 32 positions, over the course of the past five years, on the Corruption Perception Index.
