National Integrity System Assessment Afghanistan 2015

16 February 2016

At the beginning of 2016, Afghanistan stands at a critical juncture that will determine its future as a country. The new democratically-elected government has taken power against a backdrop of withdrawing international forces and recent reports of a worsening security situation in the country. While the immediate prospects for peace remain unclear, what is certain is that long term stability cannot be secured unless a sustained effort is made to tackle corruption in the country. Experience from post-conflict countries around the world shows that widespread corruption undermines the authority of the state and its institutions and provides fertile ground for criminal networks to develop and insurgents to operate. Corruption also deprives the poor and vulnerable of essential services and limits their access to justice. By weakening the bonds of trust between citizens and the state, it heightens the risk of conflict re-emerging.

Errata

Please note that the following mistakes occurred in the report:

P74:

In the section "5. Law Enforcement Agencies", the fourth line in the second paragraph read "13 per cent have lost their lives in the course of their duties in the past two years", when it should read "13 prosecutors have lost their lives in the course of their duties in the past two years".

P134:

In the section "10. The Media", the third line in the sixth paragraph read "Afghanistan’s National Journalists Union (NIA)", when it should read "Afghanistan’s National Journalists Union (ANJU)".

We have corrected the report accordingly and apologise for these mistakes