9 December 2009 - On International Anti-Corruption Day, the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan, Jean-Luc Lemahieu, issues a message.

December 9 is a significant date when nations around the world seriously reflect on their need to combat corruption, a cancer killing development.

Afghanistan has taken a number of significant steps but an enormous amount of work remains to be done.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime pledges to stand next to the government to make the UN Convention on Anti Corruption a reality.

Yet anti-corruption is more than a law book, it is a mind-set.

Therefore and more importantly today is a day to pay respect to the Afghan heroes with integrity: anti-corruption officials who are not afraid to go after the high level criminals; honest public officials who risk their jobs exposing corruption; journalists who risk their lives to investigate fraud and report the truth; prosecutors and judges who guarantee justice, even when under attack from powerful forces.

Anti-corruption day is a tribute to you.

Website: UNODC