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Prime Minister’s speech at launch of KRG Strategy on Good Governance and Transparency

SUN, 12 JUL 2009 18:00 | KRG.org

Speech by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani
Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, 12 July 2009
Launch - KRG Strategy on Good Governance and Transparency

It is a pleasure and an honor to be with you today to unveil a government project which aims to promote good governance, transparency, and integrity in our government operations and practices. This project has taken tremendous efforts from the part of the government for the sole purpose of better serving our people; the great people of Kurdistan. I am here today to announce this initiative to our citizens, friends, and the world at large. The message is simple: we, the government, and you the people, want a government that is responsible, transparent and accountable for its actions. A government that will spare no effort in serving our people in the best manner possible. A government that will work in an open and transparent manner to achieve its goals and meet the aspirations of our citizens.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mahatma Ghandi once said “Corruption and hypocrisy ought not to be inevitable products of democracy, as they undoubtedly are today”. Today, and unfortunately, these wise words still resonate. However, Corruption is an easy phrase to use, but a difficult charge to prove. That is why the time has never been better to have an open discussion about it. Lately, it has become popular, and fashionable I must add, to accuse the government of corruption. These accusations do not come from people who do not wish us well, nor do they want the government to succeed. This charge is also used for political gain since it is the election time. To these people I say: this project is not a reactionary move from our part nor does it have a political agenda. This is simply a project that we started piecing together a year ago and its launching time has also been previously decided.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The government of Kurdistan is accountable to no one except to our people. This is why, and as I said before, we need a national discussion about good governance, about corruption, about improvements of services, and about the best solutions to go forward and achieve our aspirations. When I say discussion, I mean an open discussion with our people, civil society organizations, intellectuals, religious leaders – to address corruption and what it means to our society. We need to understand that corruption is not simply an issue of government; it is an issue of society. It affects us all, and holds us back in the progress toward a better future.

True, mistakes were made, but only those who do not work are the ones who do not make mistakes. Sometimes, bureaucracy, slowness, and outdated procedures slow down our efforts to provide services and programs to the people. Obviously, people become frustrated, at the slowness of service, and assume that corruption is taking place, when it is not.

Our nation has a long and rich history which is a source of pride and inspiration for all of us. However, we, in the government, do not have centuries of experience as most governments do. We have been in office for 10 years. We have had to build a government in the Kurdistan Region in a short period of time. When we started we had virtually nothing. Just as we have had to build roads, bridges, hospitals and services from the ground up, we also had to build a government from the ground up. We do not have thousands of highly trained civil servants and experts. We do not have a highly developed administrative code –we operate under an outdated and inefficient system which we are assiduously working to improve. And most importantly, we do not have a regular, predictable budget process – we have an irregular and unreliable flow of revenues from Baghdad.

However, government, as it exists to serve the people, has a special obligation to do all that it can to make certain that the peoples’ money is used properly, honestly, and efficiently. And this is what we are here to discuss today.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Just over one year ago, the Council of Ministers approved a decision to undertake a thorough and comprehensive evaluation of government procedures and operations to look for ways to make government more open, more accountable, and more transparent. We decided as a Cabinet to find and to use some of the world’s leading experts to help us with this task.

We hired the world’s largest financial and accountancy consulting firm – Pricewaterhouse Coopers, US – which is the leading private firm in matters related to governance, transparency and accountability. PWC last year began a comprehensive study of KRG processes and operations with a view towards developing a strategy that would help us to put in place solid, meaningful actions to address problems in governance and transparency. That study, and the strategy recommendations have now been completed, and we are ready to move toward implementation.

Now, some will ask – why is this being announced today? Early on in my speech I have said that this project took us a year to put together and today’s launch has been agreed 6 months ago. Allow me to go into details: we began this process in July of last year, and it was expected to take one year. We have had countless meetings, reviews of documents, laws, procedures, etc. The report which PWC has prepared for us runs to over 600 pages. This process has involved close consultations with all Ministries and government offices, with international bodies, and with a range of experts from around the world. The strategy, however, is our own – developed with experts, but tailored to meet the changing needs of the KRG as it evolves into a modern, efficient government.

The benefits of this strategy are clear, and vital for our future. It will help to ensure that public funds are used properly, and make government more efficient and more effective. It will improve the delivery of services to the people of the Kurdistan Region. And it will help improve international and domestic confidence and increase investment and job development, while helping to raise the living standards of our Region.

We have now completed the first two stages of our work – the study and the development of the strategy. The strategy we are announcing today is founded on four principles:
  • First, the KRG is founded on the basis of the Rule of Law. Adherence to the Rule of Law is critical to the functioning of government and to ensure that no-one in government, regardless of position, is above the Law.
  • Second, Public service is a public trust. Every KRG official must recognize that they owe a legal duty and are accountable to act in the interests of the Kurdistan Region and its citizens, and will promote those interests above their own, their family or their political party.
  • Third, Governmental functions shall be open and transparent. An open and transparent government promotes the interests of the Kurdistan Region, its institutions and citizenry. Ensuring that citizens have access to information on the functioning of government is an indispensible element to ensuring that KRG officials remain accountable to the voters who placed their trust in their hands.


Finally, Public funds must always be used for their intended purposes. The fundamental principle of economy and efficiency in government underscores requires that public funds should only be used for the purposes for which they are appropriately and lawfully allocated.

Improved governance and transparency will reduce the potential for corruption and increase economy and efficiency in government. The embedded anti-corruption components of the Strategy will encompass several key areas including: awareness, law reform, training, prevention, monitoring and ultimately, detection and enforcement. In order for this Initiative to succeed, the Strategy calls for the implementation of a diverse set of institutional reforms and specific governance activities across all sectors of government. These actions include:
  • A. Create an Executive Office of Governance & Integrity;
  • B. Create a Code of Conduct for all KRG officials;
  • C. Create a comprehensive model Penal Code, including anti-corruption, money laundering and asset recovery laws;
  • D. Provide governance training for all KRG officials;
  • E. Provide the Supreme Audit Council with advanced training;
  • F. Initiate KRG outreach and collaboration with international experts;
  • G. Enhance public awareness and access to government information;
  • H. Enact civil service reform;
  • I. Strengthen public financial management practices;
  • J. Reform procurement policies, procedures and practices;
  • K. Commence a civil society participation program;
  • L. Install Integrity Pacts in key civil infrastructure projects;
  • M. Create and implement contractor ethics and integrity licensing program;
  • N. Create a centralized, independent contractor suspension and debarment process;
  • O. Adopt and fully implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative ("EITI") principles; and
  • P. Deliver advanced forensic training to enforcement authorities.

It is important to note that these steps and procedures will not happen overnight, but we will begin work on them immediately. This is the beginning of an important and vital process that will put us clearly on a path toward better and more accountable government. We are doing something today that very few governments around the world have attempted to do. We have looked at our own procedures and practices and have voluntarily prepared an expert package of reforms that will improve our position. We intend to be a leader in this field, and years from now, we hope that other governments will look at what we have done, and adopt our plan as their own.

Our strategy is based on sound and accepted international practices, and we have used the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) as the basis for our actions. These steps can and will move us ahead. I ask each of you here today, and those of you watching on television to consider this a personal challenge of the highest priority. This is not an attack aimed at anyone. It is instead, a challenge to us all to improve the way we operate as a government and a society. Government, leadership, society and individuals must all engage on this important national issue.

I want to close by thanking all of you for attending, and especially offer the thanks of the KRG to the team from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, US. They have been extraordinarily helpful to us in this process and have brought us expertise and understanding built on years of work in this field. They have committed to remain with us as we implement this strategy, and we are excited and honored to be working with them.

I would also like to thank the KRG team who has been working on this initiative for a long period of time and in close coordination with PwC. I congratulate you for your efforts and wish you every success.

Thank you all once again for your attendance.

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