Modern University College and AMAN Coalition for Accountability and Integrity have signed a basic corporation agreement to consolidate their efforts to combat corruption, raise awareness and advocate transparency and integrity.
The agreement has been signed in the presence of Esq. Hussein ash-Shyoukhi; Lubna Subeh, V.P. For Academic Affairs; Dr. Oussama Daraj, the chairperson of the Department of Law at the MUC; Dr. Hussein Elssa, the chairperson of the Legal Clinic at the MUC; Dr. Abdurrahman Rihan, the coordinator of the abroad study programs at the Dept. of Law at the MUC; Majdi Abu Zaid, the executive manager of AMAN; and Somod Barghouthi, the administrative assistant for research and resources at AMAN, at the MUC headquarter in Ramallah.
Mrs. Subeh started the meeting expressing the appreciation and gratitude for AMAN’s attendance, establishing that corruption issues represent one of the most critical challenges that cripple the progress of any society. She also highlighted that the gravity of corruption is parallel to the implications of the occupation; both represent a stumbling block for the progress and the prosperity of Palestine. In this context, she indicated that the MUC has, by the efforts of its team of legal academicians and Law specialists, provided new courses on transparency, integrity and corruption resistance for the paralegal diploma students as well as the BA. law Students.
Dr. Daraj has amplified that the objectives of the MUC in general and Dept. of Law in particular are not limited in the theoretical courses on integrity, transparency and corruption resistance; however, the courses aim at building up a well-versed generation of students equipped with the knowledge needed for detecting and fighting all the forms of corruption. For example, the MUC has been providing a course entitled “Integrity and Transparency” for law students as well as paralegal students since three years.
Additionally, Dr. Rihan emphasized the significance of the corporation between the MUC and AMAN, indicating that the aforementioned course hadn’t been brought to light without AMAN’s efforts.
He also added that the MUC urges the law and paralegal students to conduct researches on the topics of integrity, transparency and corruption resistance; this would improve their research capacity to expose corruption in any contexts.
Besides, Mr. Majdi Abu Zaid has conveyed AMAN’s appreciation and gratitude for the corporation devoted by the MUC and its Administration, believing this will transcend the work against corruption. He also highlighted that the MUC has accomplished a lot in the issue of intra-organizational transparency and integrity in a short period of time. Similarly, he underlined the need for better and broader networking with other organizations.
Furthermore, He tackled some of the envisaged programs, which will be implemented in the offing, and the groups (i.e. academicians, law specialists and student councils in the various universities and colleges) targeted for networking. He also stressed the instancy for consolidating the efforts to form lobbies so as to introduce the integrity and transparency concepts in the educational curricula, thus such concepts and values would be instilled in children in early stages.
In the same context, Somod Barghouthi confirmed that a number of meetings will be held for updating the curricula. She also expressed AMAN’s keenness to provide the MUC with all necessary recent researches for both academicians and students. Lastly, she reiterated her appreciation for the corporation with the MUC, believing that it’s a seed that will thrive in the future.
Finally, the basic corporation agreement included number of key items, including: (i) building the capacity of the legal academicians to engage in the work against corruption; the capacity building programs will focus on the legal aspects in the national and International Laws and legislation; (ii) facilitating regular brainstorming sessions for the academicians on the issues related to the promotion of the role of education in the war against corruption; (iii) coordinating and networking constantly with the academicians and inviting them to participate in the various activities (e.g. discussion workshops on the drafts of the reports and studies issued by AMAN, as well as the hearings and accountability sessions) organized by AMAN; (iv) forming academic consultant groups to provide support and assistance for AMAN and the MUC to develop their future interventions against corruption; (v) exchanging the relevant publications and issues; (vi) consulting constantly with each other to develop anti-corruption curricula in a manner befitting the needs and the study plan of the MUC; (vii) raising the awareness of the students through organizing lectures on corruption resistance issues and extracurricular activities to raise their awareness of the different forms of corruption; (viii) providing research assistance in conducting their research papers from AMAN’s library and publications and contacting with AMAN’s specialized units in regard to any issue related to corruption resistance; (ix) encouraging students to conduct pragmatic researches on corruption, thus to apply for the best research award; (x) encouraging student to participate in the relevant workshops and to join their efforts against corruption; and (xi) offering training opportunities for the students so as to improve their capacity in fighting corruption.
