UN welcomes 'reinvigorated efforts' in Afghanistan's corruption reform agenda

“The United Nations stands firmly in supporting Afghanistan’s reinvigorated efforts to fight corruption,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. “The United Nations is especially encouraged by the new reforms brought about in a short time by the Civil Service Commission as well as by the increased activity of the Anti-Corruption Justice Centre in prosecuting and adjudicating complex corruption cases.”

UNAMA’s second anti-corruption report, titled ‘Afghanistan’s Fight against Corruption: From Strategies to Implementation,’ analyses the contributions made by civil society and independent institutions, along with all three branches of government – the executive, the legislative and the judiciary.

The report identifies the need to accelerate justice reforms in the interest of improving the lives of all Afghan people.

It describes Afghanistan’s new anti-corruption strategy as a strong tool, but notes that a short-term strategy will have limited impact.

“It has become clear that all Afghan institutions, along with all segments of society, must now engage in fighting corruption to rebuild integrity, accountability and transparency in the country, with a long-term agenda,” said Yamamoto, who is also head of UNAMA.

The report, which Afghan authorities were actively engaged in helping to produce with data and feedback, details how the country has now met requirements of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption regarding criminalization of corruption offences.

The report makes several recommendations, recognizing that the government’s ongoing anti-corruption efforts have yet to impact the lives of most Afghans, and concludes that, notwithstanding the many legal and policy reforms that have been undertaken, corruption continues to be a substantial obstacle to Afghanistan’s long-term peace and prosperity.

“While Afghanistan has made significant and notable progress in fighting corruption, new reform strategies and laws have yet to be fully applied to bring tangible benefits to Afghans suffering from the impact of corruption,” said the UN envoy. “We are confident our recommendations will be well received and will help Afghanistan in advancing its anti-corruption reform agenda.”