13 February 2012
BAGHDAD, IRAQ – UNICON shortlisted for UNDP’s Technical Assistance to Iraq Offices of the Inspectors General.
The capacity of Iraqi public institutions was weakened by the cumulative effect of decades of violence, sanctions, isolation and insecurity. Since 2003, they have also suffered as a result of the confusion brought by the establishment of new institutions and new rules governing the relationship between institutions. Moreover, the breakdown in state authority since 2003 created space for opportunistic actors who, in some instances, occupied high-ranking positions in Ministries.
The Government of Iraq has made progress in recent years in regaining control over territory and gradually improving security in most parts of the country. In March 2008, the Government of Iraq became a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), a commitment that was originally made in the International Compact with Iraq. This followed the first international anti-corruption conference for Iraq, held in Baghdad in March 2008, during which the Government, together with the heads of the main Iraqi anticorruption entities including the Inspectors General (IGs) declared their intention to develop a comprehensive National Anti-Corruption Strategy and to establish effective preventive measures for corruption. The National Strategy was published in September 2009 and is currently being rolled out country wide.
This project aims to strengthen the capacity of Iraqi Inspectors General and their staff on operative, legal, and technical levels. The capacity building objective will be directed to all IGs staff to insure consistency in approach, ascertain its full delivery and that the process covers the IGs technical competences in full. This will subsequently improve the ability of IGs to satisfy their legal obligations, thereby contributing to a reduction in corruption and other wasteful and criminal practices in Iraq.