Corruption must be combated on the basis of the particular characteristics of the corruption problem in each country. 
In general, corruption exists because an individual regards it as profitable, either materially, in the form of social status, or in some other way. For corruption to cease to exist, this picture must be reversed. It must be unprofitable and dangerous, in the sense of carrying the risk of political, economic and social sanctions, both to be corrupt and to contribute towards corruption.

The fight against corruption must be based on broad cooperation between various actors nationally and internationally. The main responsibility for combating corruption must lie with the country’s central authorities, but local authorities, NGOs, the private sector and academic communities must also be actively involved.

Democracy and respect for human rights are important in the fight against corruption. Independent media and an active civil society are vital if the fight is to be effective. Research carried out by the World Bank indicates that there is less corruption in well-developed democracies than in countries that do not have well-functioning democratic institutions. Corruption is more easily detected in a transparent society and transparency can therefore also have a preventive effect. Consequently, support to promote democracy and human rights is also an important contribution in the fight against corruption.
Anti-corruption activities must be focused on four principal axes, which should be worked on in parallel:

 
- Raising awareness and increasing knowledge
To fight corruption effectively, the causes of corruption must be discussed and they must be addressed from a local point of view and in a local context. All those involved in this work on both sides of the table must therefore increase their knowledge of this area. In addition to public authorities in donor and partner countries, this includes politicians, media representatives, NGOs and the private sector.
When formulating development plans and measures, it should be taken into account how these will be influenced by or will themselves have an impact on various forms of corruption. These considerations should be included in all evaluations and other development cooperation reviews. Efforts should also be made to integrate them more effectively into discussions of other development assistance topics in donor fora such as the OECD/DAC and the regional development banks. Corruption is not a separate sector, but is a subject that affects all the sectors within development assistance.

- Institution-building
Corruption is partly the result of an overstaffed and poorly-functioning public sector, where there is a lack of qualified personnel and wages are low. There will often be a need to strengthen both the legal framework and the public apparatus that enforces it at the national and local level. At the same time, it is important – in relation to the resources available – to make an assessment of the type of task that the public administration should be responsible for and to what extent. Reforms designed to enable the public sector to provide the services that are needed and operate with greater efficiency, to improve working conditions and raise employees’ wage levels will be important. Independent, strong control bodies must be established to prevent and detect corruption in the public sector. In countries with weak legislation or judicial precedent in the field of corruption, it will often be important to bring laws and judicial practice into closer correspondence with the popular perception of justice. This will raise the profile of corruption as a social problem and increase public awareness, as well as having a preventive effect.

- Transparency
There is a need for greater openness on the subject of corruption by giving it greater media coverage and by focusing more strongly on the fight against corruption in national debates and international dialogue on development issues. It is more difficult for corruption to survive in systems where information is readily available and government activities are open to public scrutiny. Government budgets and accounts must be made readily available to journalists, researchers, NGOs and other members of civil society. 

- Accountability
More effective sanctions must be established against all those who become involved in corruption. The probability that corruption will not pay must be increased. Those responsible must be made accountable, via the judicial system or in some other way. It is also logical to consider ways of reacting to public authorities who openly tolerate corruption by, for example, linking allocations of development assistance funds to requirements for the implementation of concrete measures against corruption before funds can be disbursed.