Corruption is the biggest obstacle to growth and stability in both developing and developed countries in the world. To raise public awareness about corruption and what people can do to fight it, the International Anti-Corruption Day is observed on December 9 every year. Numerous activities that focus on the theme of fighting against corruption facilitate International Anti-Corruption Day. It is a moment for governments, legal bodies, and political leaders to cooperate against corruption by facilitating the day.

On anti-corruption day, its advisers coordinate occasions to engage the public to effectively resist against corruption. The General Assembly adopted the ‘United Nations Convention' against corruption on 31 October 2003 and requested that the Secretary-General appoint the ‘United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’ (UNODC) as a secretariat for the Convention's Conference States Parties. The General Assembly assigned 9 December as the International Anti-Corruption Day to raise knowledge about the role of the Convention to prevent the corruption, and it came into force in December 2005. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UNODC are at the lead to prevent corruption. Governments of several nations, private sectors, non-governmental organisations, the media and numerous citizens are joining these forces to fight against this crime.

A nation loses its credibility due to corruption and it eventually causes conflicts and violence in the societies. Several nations around the world have taken notable steps to withstand the continuous COVID-19 pandemic by lining up the aids important to resist a global economic downfall. The theme for this year's Anti-Corruption Day is “Recover with Integrity”, it concentrates on the comeback of various economies and promotes that inclusive COVID-19 recovery can simply be acquired with integrity. In 2020, this global campaign will concentrate particularly on wiping out corruption and strengthening responsibility in the economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health sector, and the private sector. Topics like ‘Corruption in Sports’ and ‘Gender and Corruption’ will be similarly highlighted globally.

Some international bodies are working towards measuring the corruption rates in different nations to create a corruption-free system. According to Transparency International, the ranking of India in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 (CPI) has slipped from 78 to 80 compared to the previous year. According to their reports, nations like India and Australia with the unfair and corrupt financings, excessive impact in judgments and biases by influential corporate associations has declined in the supervision of the corruption. The United Nations received its CPI by dropping 2 points to score 69 out of 100. According to the Transparency International reports, the top-ranked nations are New Zealand and Denmark with scores of 87 each, followed by Finland with 86, Singapore with 85, Sweden with 85, and Switzerland with 85. The nations ranked at the bottom of their list are Somalia, South Sudan and Syria with scores of 9,12, and 13 respectively. Their report has similarly disclosed that a majority of nations are indicating exceedingly slight modifications in tracing corruption.

Currently, there are many nations which are struggling to eradicate corruption from their systems, and several economists are constantly on the analysis for solutions. However, with effective law enforcement, transparency, no access to international monetary loopholes, reform public administration, and empowering citizens can make progress in the fight against corruption. And it is high time to formulate a detailed road map to involve solid anti-corruption activities in the systems of various nations in the world.

Reference:

  • www.anticorruptionday.org
  • www.wikipedia.com
  • www.corruption.org.za
  • www.transparency.org

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