Today, 9 December, is also the ninth UN International Anti-Corruption Day. Yemen is the 11th most corrupt country in the world, ranking 161 out of 174 countries, on a par with Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti and Venezuela, according to Transparency International’s 2014 Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
The scope of the CPI is limited to public perceptions of corruption within the public sector, so it does not capture absolute levels of corruption. But it is notable that this year’s score of 19 is only a marginal improvement on last year, when Yemen scored 18.
The human impact of corruption is significant. It distorts the economy, stifles foreign investment, diverts funds from development, perverts the rule of law and corrodes accountability. According to the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation high levels of corruption correlate with high infant mortality rates, illiteracy and poor access to sanitation. So corruption hurts everyone. But it is the poor, particularly women and children – those who are least able to afford it – who pay the biggest price.
The Yemeni people deserve better. That’s why I and others in the international community are working with the new Government of Yemen to make progress on tackling corruption. The good news is that there is a genuine window of opportunity to do so.
The Peace and National Partnership Agreement of September 21st has given the new Government a strong anti-corruption mandate. The National Dialogue Outcomes provide a framework for action. And the Economic Committee has been tasked with drawing up specific recommendations to fight corruption.
I welcome the political leadership Prime Minister Bahah has shown in requesting that all the members of his Cabinet post details of their personal assets online.. I also look forward to seeing details of the Government’s programme, in particular the provisions on combatting corruption.
I hope that Yemeni citizens and civil society will hold their Government to account on these commitments. The UK Government is developing a new programme which will help communities and civil society organisations (CSOs) to do just that. In the meantime, we are supporting CSOs to work up their own recommendations to put to the Economic Committee, through a workshop this Saturday which will consider how to make Yemen’s anti-corruption agencies more effective. This builds on the successful workshop hosted by the UK, GIZ and Sida in Amman in October to promote better Government, civil society and donor coordination on strategies and approaches to combat corruption.
Change will not happen overnight and we need to be realistic about what can be achieved in the short-term. But this Government has expressed its determination to improve the lives of ordinary Yemenis. I hope we will begin to see improvements in the next year which match that ambition and which make a real difference to people’s lives.
