Why does fighting corruption matter

The Philippines, with a score of 34, is 11 points below the regional CPI average, and anti-corruption efforts appear to have stagnated since The Varieties of Democracy V-Dem Pandemic Backsliding Project, which captures the extent to which state responses to COVID violate democratic standards, reports multiple violations against media freedom , infractions on non-derogable rights and violent enforcement of emergency rules by the police and the military.

It is worth noting that while countries with lower levels of corruption exhibited, on average, a more democratic handling of the pandemic, there are some exceptions. According to the same V-Dem data, Singapore, one of the top performers on the CPI, enacted discriminatory measures and restrictions on media freedom. COVID showcased how corruption hinders the work of emergency responders and their efforts to help those who need it the most.

It also highlighted the importance of measures that:. Controlling corruption is essential to ensuring a fair and efficient response to emergencies. As many countries prepare to roll out vaccination campaigns against the virus, transparency around how such campaigns are designed and how the scarce number of vaccines are distributed will be essential. Increasing transparency in government spending, strengthening oversight institutions and protecting civic space can pave the way to fairer, more inclusive societies and better preparedness to the next global crisis.

For any press inquiries please contact press transparency. Sub-Saharan Africa is the lowest performing region on the CPI, underscoring a need for urgent action. We surveyed 3, businesspeople in 30 countries about corruption.

Our interactive tool reveals the results. If you want to support our work, please consider a donation. Our analysis highlights that: Corruption diverts funds from essential services such as healthcare, leaving countries around the world vulnerable and under-prepared to deal with public health crises; A lack of transparency in the allocation of resources — a practice positively associated with corruption — weakens the efficiency of crisis responses; Countries that perform poorly in controlling corruption tend to breach human rights and democratic norms in their management of the COVID pandemic.

Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool.

We also mark other UN observances. Skip to main content. Toggle navigation Welcome to the United Nations. In Ukraine, youth work on anti-corruption. We are promoting collective action against corruption through multi-stakeholder engagement with governments, businesses and civil society and empowering communities, with a focus on women and youth. Your right, your role: Say no to corruption Corruption affects all areas of society. Ventilators and other medical supplies, for example, are highly valuable in an urgent, resource-scarce environment, and they are highly portable, making them susceptible to corruption and organized crime.

We have already seen shipments captured by organized-crime gangs and sold to — or sometimes stolen to order by — wealthy elites. It takes a lot to ensure that medical equipment and supplies make it through customs, that trucks carrying supplies from the airport do not get hijacked, that they get to the right hospitals, that they are used on the right patients, and that no one has to pay a bribe for treatment.

In all this, an awful lot of urgent oversight and security are needed. The second issue is that of opportunism. Crises create opportunities, and the bigger the crisis, the more ambitious and plentiful the opportunists. The guaranteed market for COVID medical supplies makes an excellent business opportunity for organized-crime groups looking to expand into new markets , and we are already seeing problems like counterfeit and substandard goods, illicit online sales of medicine and medical supplies, fraud linked to legitimate trade in medicines and so on.

We urgently need short-, mid- and long-term analysis on the ways that opportunists are likely to exploit this crisis — including building organized-crime and corruption intelligence and analysis into our health interventions. Our research has shown that some corruption persists, in resource-scarce environments in particular, because it fills important functions.

The health workers demanding a bribe may be poorly paid, and have no option but to ask for or accept bribes to top up their salaries enough to afford basic needs like food, water and housing. Meanwhile, a patient seeking treatment when there are not enough doctors, nurses, beds, machines or medicine may offer a bribe, or pay one if asked, to access essential treatment.

With governments passing large economic-stimulus and public-assistance packages, and increasing the authority given to police and security forces, what tools remain available to the public to hold corrupt government officials accountable? Pretrial Alternatives 4. Post Trial Alternatives 5. Concept, Values and Origin of Restorative Justice 2.

Overview of Restorative Justice Processes 3. How Cost Effective is Restorative Justice? Vulnerabilities of Girls in Conflict with the Law 3. Ending Violence against Women 2. Human Rights Approaches to Violence against Women 3. Who Has Rights in this Situation? What about the Men? Understanding the Concept of Victims of Crime 2.

Impact of Crime, including Trauma 3. Right of Victims to Adequate Response to their Needs 4. Collecting Victim Data 5.