Corruption undermining Afghan stability

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A top U.N. official says rampant corruption in Afghanistan is blocking the country's path toward peace and stability.

Kai Eide, the U.N. secretary-general's special representative to Afghanistan, said Wednesday that corruption throughout Afghanistan's government and institutions has become a serious obstacle to stabilizing the country.

Eide, speaking at the release of the Asia-Pacific Regional Human Development Report, called on Afghanistan's leaders and its people to recognize the dangers posed by a corrupt society, the United Nations reported.

"Corruption in Afghanistan is endemic, it hurts the poorest people disproportionately, pushes people away from the state and undermines our joint efforts to build peace, stability and progress for Afghanistan's peoples," Eide said in a statement.

Officials say the report calls on people from citizens to officials in the country to take on corruption through focusing on "health, education, the police and natural resources," the release said.