ISLAMABAD, FEB 11 (DNA):Pakistan’s position on the 2024 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has declined by two spots, ranking 135th out of 180 countries compared to 133rd in 2023, a fresh report revealed on Tuesday.
Transparency International’s CPI report assesses 180 countries and territories based on the perceived levels of corruption in the public sector, using a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
In a statement, Transparency International Pakistan mentioned that the CPI is released annually by Transparency International Berlin and that TIP has no role either in the collection of data or the calculation of the country’s score.
TIP Chairperson Justice (retd) Zia Perwez, in the statement, mentioned that in CPI 2024, the score of all countries in the region except Oman, China, Turkey and Mongolia has reduced.
Whereas, he noted, Pakistan’s score and rank on CPI 2024 has reduced by 2 points from 29 in CPI 2023 to 27 in CPI 2024. Pakistan’s rank has reduced by 2 points from 133 in CPI 2023 to 135 in CPI 2024, out of 180 countries.
“The downslide for the region shows that Pakistan is one of the countries that is holding up against the overall trend in the region,” the retired judge noted.
‘Corruption levels remain alarmingly high’
The statement mentioned that global corruption levels remain alarmingly high, with efforts to reduce them faltering, according to the latest report. The report, it said, has exposed serious corruption levels across the globe, with more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50 out of 100.
The global average on the index has remained unchanged at 43, highlighting the need for urgent action against corruption and warning of a critical global obstacle to implementing successful climate action.
Against a backdrop of record-breaking global warming and extreme weather events, erosion of democracy and a decline in global climate leadership, the world has its back against the ropes in its fight against the climate crisis.
“Corruption is making that fight much harder, and the international community must address the link between corruption and the climate crisis,” the anti-corruption watchdog said.
TI Chairperson François Valérian said that corruption is an evolving global threat that does far more than undermine development — it is a key cause of declining democracy, instability and human rights violations.
“The international community and every nation must make tackling corruption a top and long-term priority,” the statement mentioned.
This is crucial to pushing back against authoritarianism and securing a peaceful, free and sustainable world, the statement mentioned.
“The dangerous trends revealed in this year’s Corruption Perception Index highlight the need to follow through with concrete action now to address global corruption,” he said.
Global corruption
Almost 6.8 billion people live in countries with CPI scores under 50, the anti-corruption watchdog said, which is equivalent to 85% of the world population of 8 billion.
For the seventh year in a row, Denmark obtains the highest score on the index (90) and is closely followed by Finland (88) and Singapore (84).
Countries with the lowest scores are mostly in fragile and conflict-affected countries like South Sudan (8), Somalia (9), Venezuela (10), Syria (12), Libya (13), Eritrea (13), Yemen (13) and Equatorial Guinea (13).
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Over a quarter of the countries in the sample (47) got their lowest score yet on the index, including Austria (67), Bangladesh (23), Brazil (34), Cuba (41), France (67), Germany (75), Haiti (16), Hungary (41), Iran (23), Mexico (26), Russia (22), South Sudan (8), Switzerland (81), the United States (65) and Venezuela (10).
Over the past 5 years, seven countries — Côte d’Ivoire (45), the Dominican Republic (36), Kosovo (44), Kuwait (46), the Maldives (38), Moldova (43), and Zambia (39) — have significantly improved their scores in the index.
Corruption and climate crisis
The CPI also highlights the billions of dollars of climate funds that are at risk of being stolen or misused.
Most countries that are highly vulnerable to climate change score below 50 on the CPI. Huge numbers of people are at needless risk because corruption is impairing climate projects meant to protect them.
This highlights the critical need for robust transparency and accountability measures to ensure the effective use of these funds.
Recent TI research shows how corruption can undermine a “just transition” to net zero, highlighting specific examples in South Africa (41), Vietnam (40), and Indonesia (37), where insufficient safeguards have created opportunities for unscrupulous actors.
In South Africa (41) around a billion rand (more than $56 million) is stolen each month from Eskom, the state-owned energy provider, according to its former chief executive.
Countries suffering the worst effects of the climate crisis have the lowest scores, including South Sudan, Somalia, and Venezuela. In Somalia, climate change has wreaked havoc on the country’s agricultural economy and worsened its 30-year-long conflict.
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