Every year on 9 December, Bhutan joins the international community to commemorate the International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD). The Day is an occasion to reinforce public awareness on corruption issues, awaken individual commitment to prevent corruption, and celebrate the progress achieved thus far. The international theme for the Day, this year, isย โRECOVER with INTEGRITYโย calling for enhanced integrity to recover swiftly from the COVID-19 crisis.
n line with the international theme, the national focus for the campaign this year has been to maximise the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in promoting integrity and anti-corruption measures during as well as post pandemic. Worldwide, technology has become a critical instrument to ensure rapid response to the pandemic besides increasing transparency and accountability in the public service delivery. The programs to commemorate the Day were aligned with the sloganย โICT for ICTโ (Information and Communications Technology for Integrity, Conscientiousness and Transparency).
A team led by Commissioner Jamtsho observed the Day with the students and faculty of Gyalpozhing College of Information Technology (GCIT). As part of the program, the GCIT coordinated a debate on the topic โICT as a tool to fight Corruptionโ. Besides this, the GCIT will complement the efforts of the ACC by engaging their students to design various Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials on anti-corruption. The joint program is a stepping-stone for future collaborations with the GCIT in devising technology driven anti-corruption interventions.
Simultaneously, the Day was observed virtually with the ACC staff and 84 participants comprising of Principals, Integrity Club Coordinators and Club members from 20 Schools of all the Dzongkhags (Districts). The main program for the Day was sharing of experiences by the Club Coordinators in promoting anti-corruption principles in the schools. Integrity Club is an association of students with an objective to inculcate and advocate integrity measures in the schools through various co-curricular activities. Currently, there are 20 Integrity Clubs โ one in each Dzongkhag. During the program, the Resident Representative of the UNDP joined the Chairperson and Commissioner of the ACC to highlight the importance of the Day.
The IACD also provided an opportunity for the ACC to reflect and rededicate its commitment to build a happy, harmonious and corruption free society without losing the momentum in making greater stride against corruption despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.