The anti-corruption catalyst

Abstract

"The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) build on previous international development promises and represent an unprecedented, comprehensive framework for combating poverty, reaching universal education and achieving gender equality, among other aims. As this report highlights, however, there is clear evidence that corruption has proven to be a major obstacle for countries and regions to reach the MDGs by 2015 as pledged. The costs of corruption can be explicit, implicit and hidden. Decision-makers must recognise these problems and find solutions that integrate the MDG and anti-corruption agendas. This report provides practical examples and quantitative data to show how strengthening transparency, accountability and integrity does have a ‘MDG payoff’. Such measures need to be systematically built into development initiatives and form part of any five-year action plan put forth on the MDGs."