The first World Ethics Forum

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concluded that corruption and poor governance around the world will only be overcome through much greater emphasis on ethics and integrity in leadership, Discussions at the Forum, organized by the World Bank on April 9th -- 12th in Oxford, UK, focused on strategies to promote ethical leadership and public integrity as tools for better governance and accelerated development.

Quotes from the Forum:

"Leadership with integrity is the missing link in the current governance discussion".

"Lax governance, lack of transparency, and corruption in particular, are key constraints to a country's global competitiveness. Leaders in both the public and private sectors have to raise the bar on ethical behavior".

"Ethical leaders are the "human capital" of governance reform".

"Ethics and public service, at the end of the day, are not about pieces of paper, it is the judgment call in the heart of anyone who enjoys a position of trust -- if it feels wrong , it probably is. The challenge is to translate political will into action".

"Ethical leadership is perhaps the greatest challenge facing much of the world today .... We cannot approach reform and good governance without including ethics and integrity".

Source: World Bank