A global survey of corruption singles out Canada as suffering from an increased perception that it’s plagued by corruption.

The survey, published today by Transparency International, found that more than two-thirds of the 159 nations surveyed in its 2005 Corruption Perceptions Index scored less than five out of 10, indicating serious levels of corruption in a majority of the countries surveyed.

Canada ranks relatively highly, at number 14, ahead of countries such as Germany, the U.S., and Japan. Nevertheless, TI warns that the country’s image is heading in the wrong direction.

New long-term analysis of the CPI carried out by Prof. Dr. Johann Graf Lambsdorff shows that the perception of corruption has decreased significantly in lower-income countries such as Estonia, Colombia and Bulgaria over the past decade. “In the case of higher-income countries such as Canada and Ireland, however, there has been a marked increase in the perception of corruption over the past 10 years,” it reports. “Showing that even wealthy, high-scoring countries must work to maintain a climate of integrity.”

“Similarly, the responsibility in the fight against corruption does not fall solely on lower-income countries. Wealthier countries, apart from facing numerous corruption cases within their own borders, must share the burden by ensuring that their companies are not involved in corrupt practices abroad,” it notes. “Offenders must be prosecuted and debarred from public bidding. The opportunity for ensuring sustainable progress also lies in the hands of the World Trade Organization, which needs to actively promote transparency and anti-corruption in global trade.”

“The lessons are clear: risk factors such as government secrecy, inappropriate influence of elite groups and distorted political finance apply to both wealthy and poorer countries, and no rich country is immune to the scourge of corruption,” TI adds.

“Corruption is a major cause of poverty as well as a barrier to overcoming it,” said Transparency International chairman Peter Eigen. “The two scourges feed off each other, locking their populations in a cycle of misery. Corruption must be vigorously addressed if aid is to make a real difference in freeing people from poverty.”

Despite progress on many fronts, including the imminent entry into force of the UN Convention against Corruption, 70 countries – nearly half of those included in the Index – scored less than three on the CPI, indicating a severe corruption problem. Among the countries included in the Index, corruption is perceived as most rampant in Chad, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Myanmar and Haiti – also among the poorest countries in the world.

TI says that corruption undermines the economic growth and sustainable development that would free millions from the poverty trap. Fighting corruption must be central to plans to increase resources to achieve the goals, whether via donor aid or in-country domestic action, it insists. Also, foreign investment is lower in countries perceived to be corrupt, which further thwarts their chance to prosper.

Nineteen of the world’s poorest countries have been granted debt service relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative, testifying to their economic reform achievements. Not one of these countries, however, scored above four on the CPI, indicating serious to severe levels of corruption. “These countries still face the grave risk that money freed from debt payments now entering national budgets will be forfeited to greed, waste or mismanagement,” TI adds. “The commitment and resources devoted to qualifying for HIPC must also be applied to winning the fight against corruption. “

“Corruption isn’t a natural disaster: it is the cold, calculated theft of opportunity from the men, women and children who are least able to protect themselves,” said David Nussbaum, TI’s chief executive. ”Leaders must go beyond lip service and make good on their promises to provide the commitment and resources to improve governance, transparency and accountability.”

An increase in perceived corruption from 2004 to 2005 can be measured in countries such as Costa Rica, Gabon, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Uruguay. Conversely, a number of countries and territories show noteworthy improvements – a decline in perceptions of corruption – over the past year, including Estonia, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Qatar, Taiwan and Turkey.

Transparency International urges lower-income countries to increase resources and political will for anti-corruption efforts; and enable greater public access to information about budgets, revenue and expenditure. It calls on higher-income countries to combine increased aid with support for recipient-led reforms; and reduce tied aid, which limits local opportunities and ownership of aid programmes. And, it recommends that all countries must promote strong coordination among governments, the private sector and civil society to increase efficiency and sustainability in anti-corruption and good governance efforts; and ratify, implement and monitor existing anti-corruption conventions in all countries to establish international norms.