Corruption kills development and poses one of the greatest challenges to the world's efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, said the Secretary General on this year's Anti-Corruption Day. Sri Lanka has made considerable efforts to combat corruption. In fact, Sri Lanka was the first country in Asia, and the second in the world, to sign up to the UN Convention against Corruption, which entered into force in 2005 as the first global legal instrument designed to achieve far-reaching reforms to combat corruption. 
International Corruption Day offers an opportunity to renew the fight against corruption and bring the issue into the mainstream-it is important to create awareness and to inform people that they too have a role to play in the fight against corruption. People are not simply at the mercy of corruption and often have the power to say No. This year, UNDP supported national partners to mark International Anti-Corruption Day by bringing the youth and the general public into the larger debate on corruption. A number of events were planned, weeks in advance, to sensitize university students to the problem of corruption. The events also provided an opportunity to the students to share their views on efforts to tackle corruption.
An interuniversity street drama competition was organized in October. The competition on 'Bribery and Corruption-free public service' had almost a 100 students from across Sri Lanka participating. The competition was won by the students from Jaffna University for their insightful snippets on corruption in everyday life. The performance also conveyed a powerful message to bring about a change in society. For the students of Jaffna University it was a very special occasion. Till a few months back they would not even have been able to participate in the competition. The A9 road which connects Jaffna to the rest of the country was closed during the war and was made accessible only after the conflict ended.
There were other activities as well. A debating competition was organized in both Sinhala and Tamil on the relevance of laws pertaining to bribery and corruption. Perhaps not surprisingly, students of Sri Lanka Law College won the competition in both the local languages. Students felt that it was an interesting way to learn about the issue especially since it was not covered as part of their academic exercise.
There were also special events that targeted school children and the general public. Stickers and booklets were distributed in schools and discussion sessions organized to educate the children at a young age. In addition, public service messages and a vehicle sticker campaign was launched to reduce temptation to bribe for roadside offences.
The activities were organized by the Commission to Investigate Allegations against Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC) and UNDP's Support Efforts and Action against Corruption (SEAC) project. The SEAC project aims to work with the Commission to strengthen the national system to prevent and combat corruption, to ensure that public funds do not feed inequality and injustice but instead go towards provision of basic services and attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.