Report: Anti-corruption must be priority

BERLIN, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Corruption remains a barrier to needed progress worldwide, the Transparency International 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index released in Berlin said.

The index indicates nearly 75 percent of the 178 countries included scored below 5 on a corruption perception scale of 0-10, with 0 being perceived as highly corrupted to 10 being perceived as having low levels of corruption, the organization said Tuesday in a release.

Specifically, Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore tie for first place with scores of 9.3, meaning they were seen as having the least amount of corruption, the organization said. Seen as the most corrupt governments were Afghanistan and Myanmar, both with scores of 1.4, and Somalia, with a score of 1.1.

"These results signal that significantly greater efforts must go into strengthening governance across the globe. With the livelihoods of so many at stake, governments' commitments to anti-corruption, transparency and accountability must speak through their actions. Good governance is an essential part of the solution to the global policy challenges governments face today," Transparency International Chairman Huguette Labelle said.

To counter the challenges, governments should incorporate anti-corruption measures in their activities, from responses to financial crises and climate change to international commitments to end poverty, the organization said.

Transparency International also advocated stricter implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the lone global proposal that has a framework for ending corruption.

"Allowing corruption to continue is unacceptable; too many poor and vulnerable people continue to suffer its consequences around the world," Labelle said. "We need to see more enforcement of existing rules and laws. There should be nowhere to hide for the corrupt or their money."