INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY: 9 DEC

Corruption is a serious and global problem. It creates instability, fuels poverty and hampers development, and it must be tackled. However, significant progress has been made in recent years and there’s much to praise God for this International Anti-Corruption Day.

For example three years ago, agencies including Tearfund, Christian Aid and Cafod formed a working group to focus on global corruption. They set a number of ambitious targets.

Today, the group has seen the majority of its targets reached. This progress includes: progress on anti-bribery laws, better coordination of the UK’s anti-corruption efforts and more.

However, there is much still to be done. In 2010, developing countries lost around £555 billion because of illicit money flows – money stolen through corruption, smuggling, trade mispricing, money laundering and tax evasion.

In response, we launched a new campaign earlier this year called Secret’s Out. It’s calling on world leaders to act against corruption in the run-up to and during the G20 Summit in Australia, November 2014.

‘Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.’ (Matthew 10:26)

To find out more about corruption and the Secret’s Out campaign, and to download our guide to help you pray for an end to this injustice, visit www.tearfund.org/secretsout

• As we approach Anti-Corruption Day let’s give thanks for the progress made as a result of the hard work of Tearfund and other agencies, as well as supporters and campaigners like you. Pray this will continue to translate into tangible change for the world’s poorest people.
• Please persevere in praying against corruption, and for a world where justice and righteousness reign.
• Pray for the Secret’s Out campaign, that it will be a powerful tool in achieving further change for communities and whole countries still suffering as a result of corruption.

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ONE VOICE

We pray because we’re desperate for God – to walk with him… in step with his will for the world.

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6 December 2013 – 9 December marks the International Anti-Corruption Day. This year’s campaign, Zero Corruption – 100% Development, reinforces the idea that development can thrive only when societies tackle the root causes of corruption.

The joint UNODC and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) campaign focuses on the corrosive effects of corruption on development, highlighting that this crime undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to human rights violations, distorts markets, erodes quality of life and allows organized crime and other threats to security to flourish.

“Corruption is a barrier to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and needs to be taken into account in defining and implementing a robust post-2015 development agenda”, said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his message to mark the International Day.

This year, for the first time, a competition was held among young people to design the campaign logo and message. From among the hundreds of entries received from all corners of the globe, the winner of the competition was 24-year-old Loic Christian Muhunde, a student from Rwanda.

The campaign aims to bring together people from all walks of life in the fight against corruption, serving as a global call for action and raising awareness about the UN Convention against Corruption. Taking back what is lost to corrupt leaders is everyone’s responsibility – the International Day is observed the world over by governments and civil society organizations, the private sector and the media and the general public. IMAGE READ MORE HERE

Further information:
Anti-Corruption Campaign website : http://www.anticorruptionday.org/
Message of the Secretary-General on International Anti-Corruption Day