Jordan Commemorates International Anti-Corruption Day under the Slogan: “Jordan’s Youth against Corruption”

Jordan - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Under the slogan “Jordan’s Youth against Corruption”, Jordan commemorated International Anti-Corruption Day with a view to enhance youth engagement in the related ongoing discourse at the national and international levels. To this end, a competition was held for the students of the University of Jordan to enable them to formulate innovative messages on their perception of corruption in their communities and how to combat it, building on a preparatory orientation seminar organized for this purpose. The students developed various messages including artistic and literary works such as caricatures, slogans, poems and articles that addressed the different forms and practices of corruption, reflecting some of their personal experiences. The messages also highlighted the link between corruption, poverty, unequal distribution of resources, as well as other threats to society’s security and stability.

The commemoration was held on the 9^th of December at the University of Jordan, with more than 800 participants including students and representative from the University in addition to public officials, civil society activists and representatives of the Jordanian Anti-Corruption Commission (JACC) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The ceremony included a number of activities led by the students such as Holy Quran recitation, poetry and theatre. It concluded with the distribution of certificates to all participants in the competition and the announcement of the names of the winners as selected by a jury composed of representatives from the organisers, civil society and experts.

Parallel to the event, a number of interviews and talk shows aired on national television and on the campus radio of the University of Jordan aiming to raise awareness about “International Anti-Corruption Day” which was established in 2003 by the UN General Assembly.   

The event itself and all related activities were organised by JACC in cooperation with the University of Jordan and with the support of UNDP, as a pilot that can be built on in the future with the aim of enhancing youth participation in anti-corruption efforts. The initiative is part of the global campaign against corruption, organised by UNDP and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), under the slogan “Break the Corruption Chain”.