Corruption is often the last taboo. It's not just hard to measure, it's embarrassing to discuss. But at this year's World Water Forum in the Swedish capital, the Stockholm International Water Institute, as well as tackling the long-standing issue of private sector involvement in public service provision, drew particular attention to two matters: attainment of the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the issue of corruption. There's a peculiar equivalence between these two issues. Citing estimates by the World Bank Institute, SIWI notes that the total volume of bribes paid out around the world each year now exceeds US$1 trillion - that's one thousand billion US dollars.
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