Written by Quqnoos.com
Corruption is the biggest concern of the people of Afghanistan, says a UN report released Tuesday in London.
The report says the rampant exchange of bribes and favours has led many Afghans to lose faith in the government and public officials.
Corruption, even before security, is one of the biggest concerns for average Afghans, says the report launched at London's International Institute of Strategic Studies.
The head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, says more than half the population has to pay huge bribes almost every day.
"The dimension of the payments, which ends in the pockets of the corrupt officials is so big, it is a quarter of the GDP - $2.5 billion estimated," he said.
The report focused on bribes paid out during the past 12 months for everything from crossing a check point to facilitating the country's drug trade and human trafficking.
President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly said his government is making efforts to tackle corruption, but critics say not nearly enough is being done.
Costa warns that if corruption is not tackled the Afghan people could well lose faith in the international community's efforts, with dire consequences.
The report was released before the international conference on Afghanistan in London, where President Karzai is expected to face more calls by world leaders to tackle corruption.
Quqnoos
