News

Corruption affects MDGs achievement: Dr Luveni

July 20, 2015 6:55 pm

Corruption hinders efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by obstructing unfettered public access to social services and diverting resources away from investments in public infrastructure, public institutions and social services says Speaker of Parliament Dr Jiko Luveni.

Dr Luveni is the key note speaker at a two day Anti-Corruption Workshop for Pacific Parliamentarians which started yesterday in Nadi.

She says corruption is undeniably one of the most serious impediments to human development.

Article continues after advertisement

Dr Luveni told the participating parliamentarians that corruption undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to violations of human rights, distorts markets, erodes quality of life, and allows organised crime, terrorism, and other threats to human security to flourish.

“Parliamentarians have rightly been concerned with achieving the MDGs over the past 20 years. As they expire this year, we also need to acknowledge the growing realization that sustainable development cannot be achieved without addressing corruption.”

The workshop is aimed at helping Pacific countries that have yet to accede to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to do so.

Of the countries represented in the workshop, only Fiji, Nauru and Papua New Guinea are party to the Convention.