AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan on Monday presided over a ceremony marking International Anti-Corruption Day and launching the National Strategy for Integrity and Anti-Corruption 2026–2030.

 

The event brought together ministers, senior officials, and heads of Arab and foreign diplomatic missions, according to a Prime Ministry statement.

 

Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (IACC) Chairman Muhannad Hijazi said the royal patronage underscores the leadership’s support for oversight bodies, particularly the IACC, in advancing integrity, combating corruption, upholding justice, and improving government performance.

 

Hijazi said the commission has made notable progress in recent years across all areas of its work, carrying out its duties efficiently in protecting public funds and promoting integrity across state institutions. The goal, he noted, is to build a corruption-free society grounded in justice, honesty, and a culture of integrity that strengthens trust between citizens and state institutions.

 

He said improvements recorded on the National Integrity Index over the past three years reflect a strong alignment between political will and public administration, resulting in a genuine commitment to the integrity standards introduced by the IACC in 2017. These standards—which include the rule of law, transparency, accountability, justice, equality, equal opportunities, and good governance—are now embedded in public-sector practices, he added.

 

Hijazi said the IACC studies risks in key sectors and intervenes to address gaps and distortions. Risk assessments have been conducted in the water, health, agriculture, and education sectors in cooperation with local and international partners.

 

He also announced that the commission will soon launch a Municipal Governance Index, designed to narrow the gap between current municipal performance and national standards by promoting efficiency, improving service delivery, and institutionalising transparency.

 

The chairman formally unveiled the National Strategy for Integrity and Anti-Corruption 2026–2030, describing it as an expression of Jordan’s long-standing commitment to integrity and a comprehensive framework aimed at strengthening trust, improving performance, and supporting development.

 

He stressed that the strategy aligns with royal directives, which affirm that a state governed by law must be rooted in integrity and that political, economic, and administrative reforms cannot succeed without transparency, accountability, and good governance. The strategy, he said, takes a preventive approach, prioritising empowerment before accountability to ensure responsiveness to national needs.

 

Its ultimate aim, Hijazi added, is to embed integrity as a value and behaviour, reinforce preventive and accountability mechanisms, and empower institutions and individuals to safeguard national achievements. He described the strategy as a moral and social contract that affirms corruption-fighting as a shared national responsibility.

 

Janos Bertok, Deputy Director of the Public Governance Directorate at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said the OECD partnered with the IACC in developing the strategy. He stressed that corruption is not only a crime but a major threat to societies and economies, draining resources and undermining security and stability. Combating corruption, he added, is essential to good governance, productivity, and improving citizens’ quality of life.

 

European Union Ambassador to Jordan Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas highlighted the importance of EU–Jordan partnership across all sectors. He said corruption has a significant impact on global economies and countries’ ability to attract investment, praising Jordan’s progress on global integrity indicators under its comprehensive reform programme.