AV

UNDEF builds partners for integrity in Egypt

After a series of disruptions caused by political upheavals and government restrictions, an UNDEF Egypt project has started work in earnest to form a coalition of partners for integrity. The project works to raise awareness among governmental employees, journalists and lawyers of the UN Convention Against Corruption and other international treaties; detect and monitor cases of corruption; assess the status of integrity in selected ministries through two annual reports and eight journals: print and distribute anti-corruption materials for citizens; receive citizens' complaints through a hotline; and refer complaints to the relevant legal entity.     

Participants from 18 governorates at the conference at the Safir Hotel in Cairo included Khaled Ali, legendary anti-corruption crusader and former presidential candidate; Gallal Nadim, anti-corruption experts and former head of the Transparency and Integrity Committee of the Ministry of Administrative Development; Haggag Nayel, Executive Director, Arab Programme for Human Rights Activists; human rights activists Mervat Abou Teeg, Ebtihal Rashad, Elhami El Merghani, Yasser Abdel Gawad, Atef El Negmy, Maged Sorror, Ebtihal Rashad, Mamdouh Nakhla.   

Conference themes included “The Fight Against Corruption in Egypt: Ministries, Supervisory Institutions, and Civil Society”, focusing on legislation for access to information, and “25/30 Revolutions: Between Political Will and the Roots of the Deep State”, addressing the fight against corruption as one of the key demands of the revolution, as well as the economic, political and legislative forms of corruption.