The Sunday Mail
Ranga Mataire
Deputy Editor
The World Justice Report has commended Zimbabwe for its improved rankings in the latest World Justice Rule of Law 2019 Index Report.
Director of the World Justice Project (WJP), Ms Elizabeth Anderson recently singled out Zimbabwe amongst 126 countries that include Ethiopia, Malaysia and Guatemala as having the greatest rule of law performance last year.
In her keynote address to the 7th Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and World Justice Report Symposium entitled “Fighting Corruption- A New Perspective,” held in Hong Kong from 22- 24 May, Ms Anderson said, “twenty-three countries’ rule of law performance improved by 1 percent or more in the last year while Zimbabwe’s Rule of Law performance was at 7,1 percent.”
The symposium was co-hosted by the Hong Kong based ICAC and WJP. Zimbabwe was represented by Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao SAR (special administrative region of China), Mr Alfred Mutiwazuka.
The Hong Kong based Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the World Justice Project co-hosted the event. Zimbabwe was represented by Mr Alfred Mutiwazuka, the Zimbabwe Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao SAR (special administrative of China).
Speaking from Hong Kong, Mr Mutiwazuka said the improved ranking on Zimbabwe through the findings of an independent, multi-disciplinary organisation working to advance the rule of law is an acknowledgement of the sterling efforts being made by President Mnangagwa in tackling corruption, combating poverty and protecting people from injustice in the Second Republic.
“Traditionally, the rule of law has been viewed as the domain of lawyers and judges, but everyday issues of safety, rights, justice and governance affect everyone and in turn makes everyone a stakeholder in the rule of law,” said Mr Mutiwazuka.
Renowned Zimbabwean engineer, Martin Manuhwa, who is the Vice President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) and chairperson of the WFEO Committee on Anti-Corruption also attended the symposium as a panellist.
In his address, (a copy of which has been availed to The Sunday Mail), Eng. Manuhwa highlighted the anti-corruption strategies and anti-bribery standards that needed to be embraced and implemented particularly in developing countries.
Eng. Manuhwa said, “governments, corporates and financial institutions should insist on dealing with organisations that are ISO 37001 compliant as it is the only standard that requires the genuine commitment of top management to reduce the corruption risk by curbing bribery using policies and systems that are robust and rigorous.”
In a show of confidence in the strides taken by Zimbabwe in observing the rule of law, Eng. Manuhwa urged the World Justice Project to hold its next multidisciplinary engagements in Zimbabwe at the majestic Victoria Falls.
The WJP Rule of Law Index 2019 is the latest report in an annual series measuring the Rule of Law based on the experiences and perceptions of the general public and in-country experts worldwide. The index provides scores and rankings based on eight factors that include constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.
The scores and rankings for the WJP Rule of Law Index are derived from more than 120 000 household surveys and 3 800 expert surveys in 126 countries and jurisdictions. The index is the most comprehensive dataset of its kind and is the world’s leading source of current, original data on the rule of law from the perspective of ordinary people and their experiences.
