The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights collect taxes and conduct cohesive economic policies, and renders it overtly dependent on fluctuating levels of official development assistance, all to the detriment of the fulfilment of the rights under the Covenant (art. 2 (1)). 18. The Committee recommends that the State party redouble its efforts to end the political divergence between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to improve its ability to collect taxes and conduct cohesive economic policies and to reduce its dependency on fluctuating levels of official development assistance. In this regard, the Committee recalls its statement entitled “The pledge to leave no one behind: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”23 Corruption 19. The Committee is concerned about reports that corruption, including nepotism, remains pervasive in many sectors of public life, in particular in appointing and promoting government officials. The Committee regrets the lack of specific information provided by the State party on the concrete measures in place to ensure the independence, transparency, effectiveness and accountability of anti-corruption bodies such as the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Anti-Corruption Court (art. 2 (1)). 20. The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Promptly, independently and impartially investigate and prosecute all cases of corruption, in particular high-level corruption, including corruption in the Government, and, if a person is convicted, apply penalties commensurate with the seriousness of the offence; (b) Ensure the independence, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of all anti-corruption bodies, including the Anti-Corruption Commission and the AntiCorruption Court, as also recommended by the Human Rights Committee.24 Austerity measures 21. Noting the State party’s measures to balance its expenses with available resources, the Committee is concerned about the significant adverse impact of austerity measures on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights (arts. 2 (1), 6, 9, 11 and 12). 22. The Committee recommends that the State party assess the impact on the Covenant rights when making budgetary adjustments and take all measures necessary to reduce any negative impact on economic, social and cultural 23 24 E/C.12/2019/1. CCPR/C/PSE/CO/1, para. 8 (a) and (b). 29