UN AGENCIES LAUNCH CAMPAIGN LIFTING THE LID ON THE DAMAGING IMPACT OF CORRUPTION

UN AGENCIES LAUNCH CAMPAIGN LIFTING THE LID ON THE DAMAGING IMPACT OF CORRUPTION

A United Nations campaign kicked off today aimed at stopping the rot of corruption and exposing the corrosive effect it has on the economic and social well-being of people around the world.

Through a series of six posters and online information on a range of issues from vote rigging and embezzlement of funds to subverting the judicial system and obstructing access to education, the UN initiative raises awareness of how corruption blocks progress towards internationally agreed anti-poverty targets for poor countries, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (<"http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2009/November/corruption-is-a-crime-against-development-says-new-un-campaign-.html">UNODC) and the UN Development Fund (<"http://www.undp.org/">UNDP) launched the campaign – "Your NO Counts" which calls on individuals to take a stand against corruption – ahead of next week's gathering of countries signed up to a legally-binding anti-corruption treaty.

The week-long meeting of over two-thirds of the 192 UN Member States which have ratified the Convention against Corruption will be held in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the implementation of the treaty.

The Convention, overseen by UNODC, helps countries ensure judicial integrity, improve legislation and develop strategies to fight corruption effectively.