Kuala Lumpur – Information Office – 13 December
Qatar and Malaysia have a shared vision to achieve the objectives of the United Nations (UN) campaign against corruption and supporting global partnership efforts, HE Ambassador of Qatar to Malaysia, Fahad bin Mohammed Kafoud stated.
"This common vision and collaboration between Qatar and Malaysia covers many other international and regional issues. Both countries look forward to furthering joint action and enhancing cooperation and bilateral relations," His Excellency the Ambassador said in a report carried by Malaysia's (Bernama) News Agency.
His Excellency praised the recent visit of Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to Malaysia on December 5th, coupled with HH attendance at the third Sheikh Tamim International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award ceremony in Putrajaya city in Malaysia.
Furthermore, His Excellency the Ambassador said it was also a recognition of the role of Malaysia's Prime Minister to take the lead in the international campaign against corruption and crime, so that Malaysia could be an example for other countries to follow.
An anti-corruption stainless steel monument was also launched by the two leaders at Dataran Putra in Putrajaya. It was a gift from the Qatari Government to Malaysia as a special acknowledgement of its strength shown in fighting corruption.
Since 2016, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim Award has been organized by the Centre of Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption in Doha, in cooperation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
His Excellency the Ambassador said Malaysia was the third country chosen to host the prestigious event after Austria in 2016 and Switzerland last year and "This shows an appreciation of the role of the Malaysian people in combating corruption, and their realization that this is the shortest way to achieve sustainable development."
His Excellency the Ambassador added that it is an annual event to recognize and appreciate contribution to the global campaign against corruption, as well as enhance Qatar's role in the global partnership and its efforts in fighting corruption aimed at achieving sustainable development.
The Sheikh Tamim Award is considered a global initiative to promote awareness on the rule of law and motivate governments, academic institutions, media and civil societies to adopt the principles of the convention against corruption adopted by the UN General Assembly on Oct 31, 2003, and enforced in 2005 with 186 signatories.
The award to mark International Anti-Corruption Day on Dec 9 highlighted exemplary and noteworthy actions and good practices on a global scale to recognize, promote, collect and disseminate anti-corruption successful models globally.
The award aims to raise awareness, provide support and solidarity for the fight against corruption as well as encourage and inspire similar and new initiatives towards a corruption-free society.
HE the Ambassador concluded sating that this award worth US 1 million distributed equally to the winners of the personals and institutions, as well as the distribution of the prize symbol, a statue of a hand that symbolizes international efforts in the fight against corruption, where the interconnected lines in the monument refer to the process of uniting the world from for the fight against corruption while the transparent structure symbolizes the importance of transparency, the small triangles that are intertwined in all the parties of the monument refer to the countries around the world and how they can make positive changes through their cooperation, and a monument to the symbol of the prize in the host country to distribute the prize.