Corruption hampers MDGs: TI

Written by IRIN

Saturday, 30 October 2010 13:22

LONDON - Corruption siphons off 20-30 percent of funding for basic services, estimates non-profit Transparency International (TI), and tackling it should be higher on the international development agenda. "Corruption is a tax, and adds to the overall bill of development efforts - the percentage of resources could be as high as 20 or 30 percent," TI's programmes' director, Christiaan Poortman, told IRIN, following the launch of the 2010 Perceptions of Corruption Index. "It will hamper the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals," he added. Research by TI into corruption in the water sector estimates in some countries that 30 percent of funds are siphoned off. Similar figures are emerging for construction. "Corruption also means quality in these sectors goes down - so in construction, the quality of the buildings will be poorer... They would collapse in the next earthquake. It really can be a matter of life and death," Poortman added. TI advocates stricter implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption, the only global initiative that provides a framework for putting an end to corruption. Under the convention, all signatories are being reviewed for their anti-corruption efforts over the next three years. Leaders must display a commitment to getting rid of corruption, said Poortman, who cited Zambia, Botswana and the USA as setting a good example. "With global financial reform, stamping out corruption is now on the agenda of the G20 (November meeting in Seoul), so it does get more traction than it used to, but whether or not major changes are being made at a governance level, is unclear," said Poortman. Other target areas to diminish corruption include strengthening institutions; strengthening the rule of law; making decision-making transparent; educating youths and setting up better whistle-blower protection schemes.