Through such mechanisms as diagnostic surveys on the provision of public services and business practices, and training judges, parliamentarians, auditors, and journalists on how to identify and combat corruption, the Bank is helping local communities and national governments confront corruption in a practical manner. We know that it works. In Botswana, Uganda, Chile, Poland, and a number of other countries, real progress has been made. People are living better lives because of this progress. In this year that we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is important to remember that development is about more than economic policies and incentives.
Economic growth can only take place alongside dynamic social progress and wide-open civic discourse.
Government institutions that shape the place of citizens in the economy must, if they are to work, be shaped by citizens. We have come a long way in recent years. Voters no longer tolerate corruption or the misappropriation of public trust. Civil society in nearly every country in the world is holding leaders accountable. The international community, including the private sector, is joining hands to build integrity into the rules that govern global markets.