Twenty-three-year-old Law and Politics graduate Ghalia from Jordan, and 21-year-old Political Science student Angie from Lebanon are two members of the UNDP-supported Integrity Guardians – a group of more than 80 young people from the Arab region, united by a collective desire to create peace and prosperity in the region by fighting corruption in their home countries.

To mark this year’s International Day Against Corruption, we sat down with them to unpack the importance of the group, motivations for joining and how young people are critical agents of change.

Tell us a bit about the objectives and goals of the ‘Integrity Guardians.’

Ghalia: The group educates youth about the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption; it connects Arab youth from various countries by providing a space for them to interact on corruption issues, and engages youth in supporting achievement of SDG 16 through an anti-corruption lens.

Angie: As a network, we are presented with a unique opportunity to expand our horizons with the people we meet, learning about anti-corruption experiences across different cultures. Since its inception in 2019, the Integrity Guardians concept has matured and in some cases, synced with our own personal goals - some members have chosen career paths in the anti-corruption reform space. It's beautiful to see how we're still growing and connecting after three years and building great friendships while at it.

Why is this group important?

Ghalia: The group fosters a relationship between us as young people from many Arab countries, where we learn via our diverse practices about the best anti-corruption tactics – and how to avoid the worst of them.

Angie: it’s a funnel for important information to shape us as citizens. There’s also a disadvantagous gap in the region of not enough people working on governance and anti corruption. The emphasis on networking and starting with education before advocacy is critical. The youth are the biggest demographic in the Arab world. We are social, political, and economic agents. We are voters and experts in the making. We are diverse in our lives. There couldn’t be a riper field to start from. In fact, I'd say the most important part of this initiative is reminding us youth of those very facts, and the potential we have to create change for the better.

What was your motivation to join?

Ghalia: What motivates me the most personally is that I've found a spot where I can express my ideas based on a firm foundation, seeing how many young people are dealing with the same problem and striving to solve it collectively. 

Angie: Frankly, just the uniqueness of the concept of "anti-corruption." It was so alien to me when I attended my first session with UNDP. But my curiosity wasn't born out of nowhere. When you experience injustices and uncertainties all around you, to the point where it's hard to visualize a future for yourself in your own country, naturally you want to take agency and control over this chaotic life around you. We got to this economic crumble because we ignored such essential state-buidling corruption-proof reforms for hundreds of years. Contrary to popular belief, now is the best time to start again strongly with them

How does corruption in the Arab world differ from other parts of the globe?

Ghalia: Corruption affects every country in the world and is not unique to the Arab world. However, opportunities for corruption that have developed in the Arab world are linked to a group or sector of society, such as a political party, family, or tribe, with no accountability for those who are responsible. Legislative and judicial ineffectiveness, as well as civil society organizations, are to blame. This became a widespread phenomenon rather than a passing trend on a particular event.

What is the role of youth in combatting corruption in the Arab region?

Angie: Youth can play any part they want in fighting corruption, as the youth are a wide demographic, and some are already experts to beginners in the field. Everyone has a unique role – I’m against compartmentalizing the youth as one monolith. 

What makes the youth distinctive are the advantages they have, from being in already academic places ready to learn more, to being at the points of career decisions. Our role is to be aware firstly, of what's happening around us and what's harming us. Once identified, it is up to us to demand accountability and justice as citizens.

What about women?

Angie: The role of women is the same as men. And, at current rates, everyone has an endless field of potential right in front of them to change our dire situation. So, they should have the same field of opportunity to do so.

Women are, statistically, more harmed than men by corruption, for various reasons. Women are usually taken less seriously when demanding their rights back from what corruption took from them and are usually the first in society to pay for economic deficits in various ways. As such, it is not hard to imagine – rather impossible to imagine – an anti-corruption battle without the knowledge and experience of the very group it harms most. 

Ghalia: I also believe it is past time to shift the persistent, aggravating, and hidden narrative of women and youth motivators in our Arab countries. My role is as simple as carrying out my tasks through my involvement in the decision-making process, and that other, more involved tasks are not merely restricted to men. My integration as a young woman is part of the process of eliminating administrative laxity and negative bureaucracy, as well as the presence of young people in the decision-making process, which creates an appropriate environment for modifying governance mechanisms.

Finish this sentence: A corruption-free Arab region means…

Ghalia: A safe region for us. 

-----------------------------------

About the Integrity Guardians 

The Integrity Guardians is an initiative under UNDP’s regional project on Anti-Corruption and Integrity In the Arab Countries (ACIAC), which is implemented in partnership with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Integrity Guardians is a regional youth network that currently brings 85 young people from across the region, based on a shared interest to learn more about corruption and how to address it and to use that knowledge to promote reforms in their countries.