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Download PDF The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has lauded the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for making ’significant progress’ in its fight against corruption but did not make any specific reference regarding the matter.
The UNDP commended the ACC in a study on the commission’s sustainability.
“The study found that the commission has made significant progress in the past 18 months in building an effective anti-corruption initiative in Bangladesh,” said primary findings of the study the UN body conducted from June 12 and July 15.
A team of national and international experts conducted the study on ‘Sustainability of the ACC’ at the request of the commission. They interviewed a large number of people, did case studies, made field visits and statistical surveys to examine how the anti-graft body can build its institutional capacity to tackle corruption in the longer term.
“All of the respondents without exception said that the ACC should sustain in future. They said the ACC must build its capacity for sustainability,” said international expert, Michael Th. Johnson, who led the study.
He said ACC is taking both punitive measures and preventive actions to curb corruption. “The achievement has been extra-ordinary. Over the last 18 months or so ACC has made very impressive progress in the context of magnitude of the problem.”
Director General (Admin) of ACC Col Hanif Iqbal said that the commission should determine its financial status for sustainability in future.
“As of today, situation is in favour of ACC which may not be the same when there is changes in the country,” he said, adding that UNDP was chosen as a neutral body to conduct the study to know the commission and its activities.
“We wanted to know ourselves from others’ eyes and what other people are thinking about us,” he told reporters in reply to a question.
While presenting outcomes of the study at a city hotel, UNDP Resident Representative Renata Dessallien said corruption eats up about 1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Bangladesh, which is a huge one.
“For this, many Bangladeshis will not get food and clothes,” she said, praising the ACC for its role in fighting and reducing corruption.
She said the commission’s efforts have sent a powerful message to the Bangladesh public that corruption can no longer be tolerated and that each person can and must play an important role in reducing it.
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