EXECUTIVE SUMMARY __________________________________________________________________________ increase the participation of women in political life since the National Sovereign Conference of 1990, their representation in high state office and elective positions remains insufficient. This marginalisation of women in Benin seems to be due to local ancestral customs, which have always kept women away from certain activities and functions. Restoring gender balance remains a major challenge to the socioeconomic development of Benin. 3.79 In light of the weaknesses and challenges noted by the CRM with regard to gender equality in Benin, the APR Panel made a number of recommendations on translating the government’s political will into concrete action. This is to be done by considering the issue of gender equality as a national priority and as a prerequisite for sustainable development. The APR Panel also recommended capacity building (organisational, human and financial) for government structures responsible for promoting gender equality and for the private sector and civil society. Finally, it was recommended that a recruitment policy be adopted in the public service, requiring that in cases of equal qualifications for the same employment, priority should be given to women. Likewise, the private sector should be encouraged to follow a similar voluntary positive discrimination policy that favours women, as defined by government. 3.5 Crosscutting issues 3.5.1 Corruption 3.80 There is unanimous agreement that corruption has become a way of life and a certain way of governance. Corruption is generally accepted as an instrument of power and a means to achieving personal success in society. Public opinion in Benin is of the view that there has never been any real political will and very little evidence of results to combat corruption. Despondency about the ability to eradicate corruption has reached such a peak that all people seem to want to do, is to wait for a ‘messiah’ to deal with the problem. When an evil like corruption is so endemic in society, it is no longer possible to identify any one cause and deal with it appropriately. The roots can only be dealt with by a high-level example. This is because a gangrene that affects the entire social body begins with the head. Although measures have been adopted and instruments put into place, their effectiveness is doubtful. The CRM observed two things in this regard: one the one hand, there is the stated and determined political will of the new authorities to stamp out this evil with (at times) bold measures and, on the other hand, there are reservations, expressed by many of the participants, about the effective capacity of the authorities and of Benin society to eradicate the ‘tentacles of corruption’. 3.81 The APR Panel recommends that the scourge be dealt with on different levels through teaching by example at the high levels of state and public administration; regular and unannounced monitoring of all levels of state administration, followed by appropriate sanction; and the enshrinement of republican values and morality and restoring them to their rightful place. 24