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Oman jumps seven places in Corruption Perceptions Index

30 Jan 2021

Oman has improved its ranking by seven places in the 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released last week by Transparency International. 

‘As a result of the efforts made to enhance governance and transparency, Oman has achieved a remarkable progress, ranking 49th globally in Corruption Perceptions Index 2020 issued by the Transparency International organisation. The report also focuses on the global health response to COVID-19,’ stated the Ministry of Economy. 

In the Middle East and North Africa region, the sultanate is placed third with a score of 54 after the United Arab Emirates and Qatar with scores of 71 and 63, respectively, while Libya (17), Yemen (15) and Syria (14) are among the worst performers.

The 2020 CPI reveals that persistent corruption in the world is undermining healthcare systems and contributing to democratic backsliding amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Countries that perform well on the index invest more in healthcare, are better able to provide universal health coverage and are less likely to violate democratic norms and institutions or the rule of law,’ it stated. 

COVID-19

“COVID-19 is not just a health and economic crisis. It is a corruption crisis that we are currently failing to manage,” Delia Ferreira Rubio, the chair of Transparency International, said. 

“The past year has tested governments like no other in memory, and those with higher levels of corruption have been less able to meet the challenge. But even those at the top of the CPI must urgently address their role in perpetuating corruption at home and abroad.”

Corruption poses a critical threat to citizens’ lives and livelihoods, especially when combined with a public health emergency. Clean public sectors correlate with greater investment in healthcare. Uruguay, for example, has the highest CPI score in Latin America (71), invests heavily in healthcare and has a robust epidemiological surveillance system, which has aided its response to COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, like yellow fever and Zika, stated the report. 

The 2020 edition of the CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, drawing on 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives. It uses a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

Denmark and New Zealand top the index with 88 points.

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