Corruption hurts everyone. It deepens poverty. It distorts
social and economic
development, erodes the provision of essential public services and undermines
democracy. Instead of fair competition based on price, quality and innovation, corruption leads to competitive bribery. This harms trade and deters new
investment.
Corruption is a universal
challenge. No country is free from it. Cultural gift-giving traditions vary widely, but there is no country where
the people consider it right for public officials to abuse their positions for private gain.
Public Office Corruption is the abuse of public office for private gain.
It means that:
• decisions are taken not for the public benefit but to serve private interests;
• high-cost, overly complex and prestigious projects are favored over cost-efficient
development projects making use of the most relevant technology;
• a private levy is imposed on public investment which
may rise to as much as thirty percent of the cost of the project. Such inflated costs
often add to the national debt;
• the environment is
threatened. When
environmental protection agencies are corrupt the very foundations of sustainable human
development are eroded;
• human rights abuse
flourishes. As corruption
increases, regimes become more secretive, less tolerant of dissent and more fearful
of the loss of power. Basic social and economic rights like access to medical care,
education, adequate shelter and good water are threatened.
