ACTA meets UNODC Working Group

The Administrative Control and Transparency Authority (ACTA) held a meeting Sunday with the working group of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).The meeting aimed to co-ordinate developments in technical and logistical arrangements and the results of the registration phase, as part of co-ordination meetings between the ACTA's internal work team and the UN team, partners and supporters of Qatar's hosting of the first "Coding4 Integrity" Arab Youth Ant-Corruption Hackathon.The preliminary registration phase for the first edition of the initiative has been extended till May 28 to provide an opportunity for all those wishing to register individually or within a team of no more than six members.Held in Doha in collaboration between UNODC, ACTA and Microsoft Qatar, the initiative seeks to bolster the role of youth in developing sustainable information and communication-based technological solutions to combat corruption. It also reflects Qatar's international efforts to promote the implementation of the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).The initiative brings together programmers and IT enthusiasts whose ages range from 18 to 30 years old.Microsoft Qatar will provide direct support to about 150 young programmers from the participating countries. The initiative will also help participants benefit from Microsoft's experience in the field of mentorship and technological innovation, and encourage youth to participate in anti-corruption efforts, in addition to increasing youth employment opportunities and promoting innovation and technology.Coding4 Integrity, to kick off in Sept., is part the Global Resource for Anti-Corruption Education and Youth Empowerment (GRACE) initiative launched by UNODC.Qatar strongly supports the initiative in a bid to utilise youth energies and their innovative potential in developing sustainable tech-based anti-corruption solutions.