Corruption is entrenched (dybt forankret) in Afghani-stan, leaving the poor at the mercy of the powerful while security-obsessed international forces often turn a blind eye to abuses, a UN report charged on Tuesday.
Despite 35 billion US dollar injected into the economy since 2002, one in three Afghans, or 9 million people, live in absolute poverty while another third survive just above the poverty line, it said.
The “Human Rights Dimension of Poverty in Afghanistan” report criticized the international community for placing too much emphasis on security and too little on long-term development. Afghanistan has the world’s second highest maternal mortality rate and the third worst rate of child mortality, according to the report.
“Only 23 percent of the population have access to safe drinking water, and only 24 percent of the population above the age of 15 can read and write, with much lower literacy rates among women and nomadic populations”, it said.
The report said that political power is exercised on the basis of personal relationships, leaving Afghans ‘subject to the fickle and shifting allegiances of patronage politics’.
The 26-page report is based on the results of a survey conducted in 14 provinces, inter-views with officials and community leaders as well as research by groups including Oxfam.
“Abuse of power is a key driver of poverty in Afghanistan. Vested interests frequently shape the public agenda, whether in relation to the law, policy or the allocation of resources,” said the report compiled by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
In the scathing report, the office said that the government is “often unable to deliver basic services such as security, food or shelter” and that rampant corruption added a further challenge to overcoming poverty in the country. …”
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
