GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Coalition for Accountability and Integrity - AMAN launched Aug. 1 its annual contest for integrity and transparency with the aim of granting the Public Sector Integrity Award, the Media Integrity Award and the Best Anti-Corruption Investigation Award. These awards will be distributed during a ceremony held by the coalition annually in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, on International Anti-Corruption Day (Dec. 9). The awards will be granted to citizens who provide information to competent authorities such as the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of Financial and Administrative Control or AMAN to help them detect or prevent corrupt practices. The awards will also be granted to people who do not engage in corrupt practices by refusing bribes.
AMAN was established in 2000 upon an initiative by a number of civil society organizations working in the field of democracy, human rights and good governance, in the framework of a civil movement seeking to combat corruption and promote integrity, transparency and accountability in the Palestinian community. The coalition operates in the West Bank and Gaza and was endorsed by Transparency International in 2006.