Partners for Transparency, in partnership with UNESCO and the International Telecommunication Union, organized a virtual youth debate entitled “Digital transformation is an important tool in the fight against corruption in the Arab world.” For her part, Mirna Shalash, the Foundation's Executive Director, expressed the importance of the regional role played by the Foundation in the fight against corruption, and the Foundation's interest in the values of integrity and transparency, and its effective efforts to raise awareness of the most important laws and frameworks governing corruption.

The debate came within the framework of the fifth regional digital inclusion week of the International Telecommunication Union and UNESCO to ensure equity and inclusiveness from November 28 to December 2, 2021, and this debate included debaters from Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine and Morocco, and at the beginning of the debate, Dr. Coordination of Youth Parties and a former member of the House of Representatives “Digital transformation is a major factor in advancing the economy and combating corruption, and praised the experience of the Egyptian state in the modern stage.”

The support team came and highlighted the importance of digital transformation in facilitating access to services without bribery and favoritism, and that it has an effective role in the so-called social accountability. They also stressed that digital transformation reduces corruption in the Arab world.

While the opposition addressed the issue on the one hand that there is no connection between digital transformation and corruption, and they gave an example of advanced countries in digital transformation, but that they have very high rates of corruption, stressing that digital transformation opens new loopholes for the corrupt to engage in dishonest acts and creates what is called electronic corruption.

The debate was followed by an open dialogue session that came out with several recommendations, the most prominent of which is the emphasis on the importance of the role of digital transformation in overcoming many unfair practices within institutions such as bribery, forgery, nepotism and preventing access to reliable data, and the role of digital transformation in reducing and limiting the spread of corruption and working towards strengthening The values of transparency, integrity and governance, however, digitization is not the only tool to combat corruption, as it needs other tools such as socialization, anti-corruption laws and improving infrastructure, especially in developing countries.