KABUL (Khaama Press): The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan says corruption remains a substantial obstacle to Afghanistan’s long-term peace and stability.
Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan has said “Fighting corruption remains a truly fundamental necessity in Afghanistan.”
Yamamoto further added that “The United Nations welcomes the progress Afghanistan has made, but all Afghan institutions, along with every segment of society, must persevere in their efforts to advance integrity, accountability and transparency in the country.”
The remarks by Yamamoto followed the release of the third anti-corruption report by UNAMA, titled ‘Afghanistan’s Fight against Corruption: Groundwork for Peace and Prosperity’.
According to UNAMA, the report reviews the progress Afghanistan has made in anti-corruption reform and provides analysis and recommendations to support Afghanistan’s institutions in combatting corruption to improve the lives of all citizens who must grapple with this challenging issue each day.
The report describes how corruption continues to affect all aspects of life in Afghanistan, eroding public trust and confidence in government institutions and hindering efforts to bring lasting peace and prosperity to the country.
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 remains a substantial obstacle to Afghanistan’s long-term peace and prosperity.
A key recommendation in the report is for Afghanistan to develop a long-term strategy to build on the gains of past reform efforts and leverage the growing public will to fight corruption.
“The United Nations appreciates the government trying to set up many institutional reform measures this year and last, and we encourage pursuing further reform,” said Yamamoto. “The upcoming elections are a test case for implementing lessons learned.”
