But fighting the cancer of corruption is a challenge not just for the Bank, but for the entire development community. International financial institutions, development agencies, civil society, the private sector and the public sector must all continue to move forward with the momentum brought to this issue only a short time ago. Bank Group President Wolfensohn reinforced this point in October 1999 when he addressed the 9 th International Anti-Corruption Conference in Durban, South Africa, where more than 1,500 representatives of governments, the private sector and international organizations shared country experiences and sought opportunities for further collaboration. At the core of the incidence of poverty is the issue of equity. And at the core of the issue of equity is the issue of corruption. . . .
Corruption has to be dealt with by a combination of forces within a country.
It can be assisted from outside. The Bank and other organizations can help, but the real motive, the real engine, has to come from the inside. . . There must be partnerships, there must be coalitions for change, and so, we felt that, as an institution the best we could do was to try and assist in the building of the coalitions and in the forging of that interest in the issue of corruption and inequity, and get it out there.