Qatar's PM attends high-level meeting organized by ICSS

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani attended the special high-level meeting organized by the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on global data-sharing for effective match-fixing investigation and prosecution. The high-level meeting was held on the sidelines of the ongoing UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice at Qatar National Convention Center.

UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov said: "The threat of organized crime and how it now uses match-fixing, corruption and illegal betting are issues that sport, law enforcement and government cannot shy away from. They are transnational problems that affect every level of society.

"Working with UNODC Member States and in conjunction with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), this partnership with one of the world's leading experts in sport integrity will provide investigators and prosecutors at the front-line with the right tools and resources to combat match-fixing, as well as organized crime's growing involvement in sport.

"Today is an important step forward in the fight to safeguard sport and I would encourage governments, law enforcement agencies, international sports organizations, as well as the public and private sector, to implement the measures that will be developed as part of this partnership with the ICSS." ICSS President Mohammed Hanzab said: "Match-fixing has a profound impact not just for sport but on wider society. It affects people from all walks of life across many countries around the world. As a result, match-fixing is an issue that governments, as well as sport, cannot ignore any longer and simply must address.

"As the global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime, the UNODC will be an important partner for the ICSS and this landmark partnership is a crucial stepping stone in the fight against match-fixing and organized crime.

"By empowering those investigators and prosecutors working in the field and giving them with the right tools and legislative powers, sport and governments can confront match-fixing, as well as address new tactics now being used by organized crime.

"At the ICSS, we strive on a daily basis to protect sport and enable it to confront the growing dangers that it now faces. This partnership with the UNODC is hopefully the start of new dawn for sport and will hopefully result in a new framework that recognizes match-fixing as a global crime." Following the meeting, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior witnessed the signing of a new partnership between the ICSS and UNODC to help strengthen cross-border investigations and prosecutions into match-fixing and the manipulation of sports competitions. The two agencies announced plans to explore global data-sharing for effective investigations and prosecutions in match-fixing, The ICSS and UNODC work together and develop programs to fight match-fixing and illegal betting, as well as safeguarding major sport events against corruption. The agreement includes capacity-building training programs for organizations from sport, government, and law enforcement. It will also organize seminars on sport integrity awareness, establish a task force to provide ad-hoc specialist advice, including legal assistance, and develop technical tools and resources in sport integrity.