Kamal Sangra
kamalsangra@gmail.com
If serving in an elected office ever becomes a career, corruption will surely follow -Thomas Jefferson
Governments around the globe are struggling today to eradicate corruption from their systems but are miserably failing to achieve the desired results as the issue is way deeper than it appears. Introspection, then, is the key.
Corruption doesn’t just steal money, it erodes trust and destroys values. When people see leaders or public officials engaging in corruption without consequences, society begins to normalize dishonesty and shortcuts. This creates a culture where cheating, bribery, and fraud become “acceptable.” According to the United Nations, every year, over $1 trillion is paid in bribes. The World Economic Forum figures, however, state that corruption is estimated to cost over $2 trillion annually. This is equivalent to more than 5% of the global GDP. Transparency International, however, estimates the world cost of corruption to be over $2.6 trillion annually, thereby denying people vital public services, including education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

international anti-corruption day

Before we go further, let us go to the background of International Anti-Corruption Day which is being celebrated across the globe today. On 31st October 2003 (coincidently, the birthday of Sardar Vallabhbai Patel) the UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against corruption (UNCAC). Since then, International Anti-Corruption Day is celebrated every year on December 9 to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, the capital of Austria, serves as Secretariat for the UN-CAC.
This year, to mark the twenty second anniversary of UNCAC, the governments all over the world are consolidating their efforts to combat corruption and enhance transparency under the theme ‘Uniting with youth against corruption: Shaping tomorrow’s integrity’.
Though, governments in majority of the countries are struggling to eradicate corruption from the system but in most cases the desired results could not be achieved. It leaves a question, if all forms of corruption are prevalent, why the government in these countries fails to ensure transparency, create stringent laws and rein in bureaucracy in order to diminish, if not eliminate corruption? This is because most governments lack political will. We must remember that virtually all effective anti-corruption initiatives throughout the world began with a strong ‘political will’ as the primary ingredient in anti-corruption recipes. Singapore, for example, enforces a strict zero-tolerance stance on corruption, backed by strong judicial accountability that ensures integrity across all levels of governance. This synergy between zero tolerance policies and judicial integrity has ingrained a culture of clean governance, making Singapore a global benchmark for anti-corruption success.
Georgia’s anti-corruption drive is a striking case study. Once ranked 130th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s CPI in 2005, bold reforms and strong political will helped it climb to 73rd by 2010 and further to 53rd by 2024, showing how decisive action can drastically curb corruption in a short span.
In short, all effective anti-corruption initiatives throughout the world have begun with “political will” as the primary ingredient in anti-corruption recipes. Without it, efforts remain superficial, targeting only lower-level officials, while the entrenched bureaucratic, business, and political elite escape accountability.
Today, however, the rise of the internet and social media has made it impossible to hide corruption and abuse of official position, as information spreads instantly and reaches both authorities and youth. Alarmed by inequality, unemployment, and widespread misuse of power, young people everywhere are demanding transparency and accountability from their governments. Many now believe that politicians often enter public life mainly to enrich themselves, and online debates reflect this frustration. Acting as guardians of integrity, youth are calling for audits of public officials before and after their time in office, public scrutiny of politicians’ family businesses, and clear explanations from bureaucrats about the lifestyle and wealth that exceeds their salaries. Their activism shows a powerful global push to make sure public office is used for service, not for accumulating wealth.
In 2025, ‘Gen Z’ protests have erupted across Africa, Asia, and South America, driven by frustrations with government leadership. The grievances vary by country, ranging from water and power shortages in Madagascar, to poor access to education and healthcare in Morocco, corruption scandals in Peru and lavish lifestyle of ‘nepo kids’ in Nepal. These movements even toppled two governments, reflecting a global wave of youth activism demanding transparency and accountability, as seen in Canada where social media is flooded with questions about Prime Minister Trudeau’s reported wealth increase from 1.2 million to 100 million in just a decade.
Similarly in September this year at Manila, millions of Filipinos participated in the “Trillion Peso March”, a mass protest calling for accountability and transparency in government amid issues of large-scale corruption involving some government officials.
In Europe, young people are protesting against academic corruption, demanding transparency and accountability in their institutions. In Serbia, students have been demonstrating since November 2024, drawing attention to systemic corruption and negligence. These protests have spread to other countries, including Slovakia, North Macedonia, and Greece, where students are calling for free elections, government resignations, and an end to corruption.
The global surge of youth led movements underscores a powerful truth: government no longer escape from its responsibility of ensuring transparency and accountability in its decisions. By uniting with youth, governments and institutions can transform skepticism into trust, frustration into reform, and protest into progress. International Anti Corruption Day reminds us that tomorrow’s integrity will be defined by how we empower the next generation to demand accountability, dismantle entrenched corruption, and build societies rooted in fairness, transparency and accountability.

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