2/7/13, "Afghanistan bribery cost 'increases sharply'," BBC
"The cost of corruption has risen sharply in Afghanistan but fewer people are paying bribes, a UN report says.
It said the amount rose in 2012 to $3.9bn, twice the country's domestic revenue and that 50% of Afghans were paying bribes compared to 58% in 2009.
Increasing numbers of people say they find it acceptable for civil servants to take small bribes, the report adds.
The government blames the international community's system of giving contracts to officials for spreading corruption.
However, it accepts that the problem is rife within its own ranks.
The BBC's Bilal Sarwary says that what is revealed in this report could just be the tip of the iceberg.
It is also unclear to what extent respondents felt able to speak openly about the bribery and corruption they have to contend with, our correspondent says.
The report was compiled jointly by the UN office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Afghanistan's anti-corruption unit, based on a survey of 6,700 people....
It said that the education sector had become especially vulnerable, with the number of Afghans bribing teachers jumping from 16% in 2009 to 51% in 2012.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly called for greater efforts to deal with the problem.
He has appealed to the US and other countries not to give construction, reconstruction and business contracts to Afghan government officials or their relatives, which he says is making the problem worse.
UN officials said it was not a question of recognising the problem but finding the right way to do something about it."
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