Transparency Plays a Major Role in Curbing the COVID-19 Pandemic
The humanitarian dimension and our role in society compel us, as a group of civil society organizations, to join efforts in facing the current crisis. As the Iraqi government confronts a major challenge in managing the crisis amid limited financial and human resources, insufficient medical supplies, and the risks of corruption in the health sector, citizens’ right to receive treatment is at stake. Corruption has deprived the health sector of financial allocations that should have been spent on securing treatment and necessary medical equipment for patients. This is evidenced by the shameful corruption deals revealed in recent months.
The Iraqi Alliance for Promoting Integrity in the Health Sector calls upon the Crisis Cell, established under Executive Order No. 55 dated 3/2/2020 and its supplement, Executive Order No. 151 dated 17/3/2020, to:
- Publish a detailed periodic report that includes all grants and donations, financial and in-kind, received by the Iraqi government, the Crisis Cell, and public institutions from local and international sources.
- Publish a detailed periodic report that provides an audited statement of funds or in-kind assistance spent or distributed by the Crisis Cell, in addition to identifying the beneficiaries and purposes of such spending.
- Publish all contracts related to the crisis concluded by ministries, administrations, and public institutions on their official websites.
- Require all entities benefiting from public funds or donations to provide and publish a periodic report containing details of expenditures and their uses.
- Require state institutions to adopt a transparent mechanism for purchasing medical equipment and supplies by publishing the requirements, bids, prices, and winning companies, including disclosure of the shareholders of these companies.
The Iraqi Alliance for Promoting Integrity in the Health Sector will carry out monitoring campaigns, follow-up, and risk assessments in the health sector across different Iraqi governorates to identify weaknesses and expose them to public opinion and relevant authorities.
Based on the above, the Iraqi Alliance for Promoting Integrity in the Health Sector — composed of 24 legally registered civil society organizations and established in 2018, led by Al-Nahrain Foundation for Transparency and Integrity (NFTI) — calls on the Iraqi government and the Crisis Cell established under Executive Order 55 on COVID-19 to adopt the highest standards of transparency through the implementation of the Financial Management Law No. 6 of 2019, Chapter Ten “Transparency,” Article (50).
