International Day Against Corruption

The slogan for the 2005 UNODC anti-corruption campaign is "You can stop corruption." The campaign aims to raise awareness among the general public of the different forms of corruption and of how widespread it is, and to highlight that each individual can become actively involved in stopping such dishonest practices.

Colloquial terms for bribery and the exchange of favours such as "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours," "una mano lava l'altra" (one hand washes the other in Italian), "coima" and "pot de vin"(a bribe in Spanish and French) attest to the global reach of corruption.

Corruption occurs whenever parents pay teachers illegal fees to give their children an education, patients pay extra to get proper health care, citizens give public officials gifts or money to speed up procedures, and drivers bribe police officers to avoid a fine. What many see as simply a way to get things done is, in fact, a crime.

Every year, over $1 trillion is paid in bribes around the world, enriching the corrupt and robbing generations of a future. Each act of corruption contributes to global poverty, obstructs development and drives away investment.

But corruption cannot only be measured in economic terms. Where corruption is present, society at large suffers. It debilitates the judicial and political systems that should be working for the public good by weakening the rule of law and silencing the voice of the people. As a result, citizens' trust in government officials and national institutions dwindles.

Everyone has a role to play in stopping corruption: governments, the private sector and civil society. The 2005 anti-corruption campaign calls on individuals to refrain from engaging in criminal activities that can have devastating effects on their society and country.