News & Blog

Key takeaways and perspectives on how to “step up global action for business integrity” from the 9th Conference of the States Parties (CoSP 9) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with Siemens AG, organised a side event at this year’s Conference of the States Part

What can we learn from studying corrupt informal networks linking the public and private sectors? A lot – including how to build stronger multi-stakeholder partnerships against corruption through Collective Action. Our latest Policy Brief draws on our [recent research in East Africa](https://baselgovernance.org/blog/bribery-isnt-only-exchange-money-what-new-research-te

A guest blog by Bernard O’Donnell, Head of Fraud Investigations at the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Sabine Zindera, Vice President, Legal and Compliance at Siemens AG and head of the Siemens Integrity Initiative. When companies are sanctioned for wrongdoing, is there a way to turn the punitive sanction into a positive force – not only for those wronged, but for wider busin

The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) has recommended the use of Collective Action to address corruption in its long-anticipated revised Recommendation of the Council for Further Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (“2021 Anti-Bribery Recommendation”). This is a positive step in efforts to bring

Our Collective Action team has launched a Mentoring Programme to support civil society / non-profit organisations that work with the private sector and other stakeholders on tackling corruption. Through the Mentoring Programme, eligible organisations can gain tailored advice, support and technical assistance from our team’s experts in anti-corruption compliance and Collective Action – all for free. O

The Metals Technology Initiative (MTI), an anti-corruption Collective Action initiative of four leading firms in the metals technology industry, has launched a website to make its guidance on Gifts and Hospitality and on Third-Party Due Diligence freely accessible to all. MTI is an anti-corruption and fair

In 2020, the Basel Institute on Governance with the support of the Siemens Integrity Initiative launched a series of roundtable discussions that brought companies together to analyse the potential nexus between corporate efforts to protect human rights and prevent corruption. While bribery has been a prohibited practice under the laws of a majority of countries for over 20 years, and in many places corporate criminal liability for corruption has also been introduced, the corporate responsibilit

A guest blog by Elisabeth Danon, Legal Analyst, OECD Anti-Corruption Division. How can governments in South East Europe partner with the vibrant business sector and civil society to help combat corruption? OECD experts and practitioners shared some novel ideas on this question at a two-day webinar on Collective Action – Building Alliances Against Corruption in South East Europe on 16 and 17 September. The event convened the Collective Action community in South East Europe to take stock of t

Speaking at a B20-G20 dialogue on 13 September, the Basel Institute’s Managing Director Gretta Fenner called on G20 Member States to commit to and support the implementation of a multi-stakeholder approach to promoting integrity in procurement. In concrete terms, she said, this means adopting proven Collective Action tools such as [Inte

The Presidency of the G20 rotates each year between member countries, as does the leadership of the B20 – the G20’s voice of business. The key issue of tackling corruption is picked up almost every year, but not always in the same way or using the same format. This can make it challenging to find historical information including past anti-corruption commitments and related recommendations. With this in mind, the B20 Collective Action Hub has just launched a new information resource on the [B20

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought issues of ethics and business integrity in the healthcare sector into the public spotlight. Citizens everywhere are demanding well-governed, transparent healthcare systems and industries – not only to address the health consequences of the pandemic but as a backbone of resilient and sustainable economic growth. Health outcomes are better when government, industry, and civil society work together well. The fast development and roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines, as w

A new sector-wide integrity programme seeks to transform and harmonise standards of ethics and compliance across all Moscow City Transport organisations. Alexandr Rusetskiy, a Deputy General Director in the Moscow Directorate of Transport Services, together with Ilsur Akhmetshin of the Compliance-Elements partnership, explain the motivation, approach and challenges in this effort to bring state-of-the-art anti-corruption practices to the sector and beyond. Briefly, what is the Sectoral

The Siemens Integrity Initiative is boosting the Basel Institute’s capacity to promote anti-corruption Collective Action with an additional USD 3.5 million in funding under its “Golden Stretch” round. This funding complements an existing USD 2.86 million project of our Collective Action team under the Siemens Integrity Initiative, with both projects due to end in 2024. We

How do illegal wildlife products, live animals, exotic marine species and illegally logged timber end up in stores, zoos, aquariums and homes on the other side of the world? Too easily, is the answer. Weaknesses in global supply chains make them vulnerable to exploitation by organised crime groups and bad actors working in legitimate businesses. Corruption opens the door to that exploitation. And the easy possibilities for laundering money from environmental crimes makes this illicit activity a

The Basel Institute on Governance and the Thai Institute of Directors (IOD), in conjunction with the Thai Private Sector Collective Action Against Corruption (Thai CAC), have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly support the promotion of anti-corruption compliance. The agreement covers the launch of a pilot project that aims to encourage the local certification of anti-corruption compliance programmes in SMEs, while allev

The following statement by the Basel Institute’s Managing Director, Gretta Fenner, was aired at the Special Session of the UN General Assembly against Corruption on 4 June 2021. Watch the video here. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for the opportunity to deliver a short statement on behalf of the Basel Institute on Governance. We welcome the political declaration as a text that provides useful guidance. In particular, we welcome those parts of

H.E. Ambassador Stefan Estermann, Head of the Prosperity and Sustainability Division, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, made the following opening remarks at our joint virtual side event on Collective Action at the 2021 Special Session of the General Assembly against Corruption (UNGASS) on 2 June. View the full recording of the side event. Ladies and gentlemen, The Swiss government is proud to partner with the

On Wednesday, 2 June, we are honoured to be co-hosting a virtual side event at the 2021 Special Session of the General Assembly against Corruption (UNGASS) in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Register here for the 60-minute session at 19:00 CET/13:00 EST: Collective Action: Building Efficient Public-Private Partnerships. About the event Why does the draft UNGASS Political Declar

Our Collective Action team asked the London-based Institute of Business Ethics how it makes its research so practical and useful to decision-makers on the ground. Head of Research, Guen Dondé, explains: Since its foundation in 1986, the Institute of Business Ethics (IBE) has always strived to be a safe space for organisations of all kinds to join forces and tackle the ethical issues they are facing. Today, more than

The Basel Institute on Governance has joined forces with the Alliance for Integrity and more than 60 partners from 12 countries to raise awareness of the importance of business integrity – and the challenges it can present to individuals, their families, business partners and society. The Alliance for Integrity is a global business-driven, multi-stakeholder initiative seeking to promote transparency and integrity in the economic system. Its global #Unite

A guest blog by Olga Savran, Manager of the OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Elisabeth Danon, Legal Analyst, OECD Anti-Corruption Division. _This guest blog post explains a new initiative by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Business Ombudsman Council of Ukraine to evaluate regional Business Ombudsman institutions and provide a platform to exchange experiences.

Our partners at the OECD have just published a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help companies involved in minerals sectors better address bribery and corruption risks throughout their supply chain. Find it here: FAQ: How to address bribery and corruption risks in mineral supply chains The FAQs complement the user-friendly and interactive online version of the gold-standard

Local certification is emerging as an interesting way for large companies and their supply chains to help address compliance and due diligence issues that can be a barrier to business. A recent Basel Institute working paper showed how local certification programmes developed with a Collective Action approach can help: _SMEs to develop and demonstrate robust anti-corruption compliance pr

The Basel Institute on Governance is delighted to join the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime (GCFFC) in support of its core mission to make the fight against financial crime more effective. Together with her senior leadership team, Basel Institute Managing Director Gretta Fenner will chair the Coalition’s new Anti-Corruption Expert Working Group. Founded in 2018, the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime brings together 20 organisations from the public sect

Collective Action is at the heart of the new Strategy 2021–23 of the United Nations Global Compact, an ambitious corporate sustainability initiative that supports companies around the world in achieving sustainable and responsible business operations throughout their supply chains. The UN Global Compact’s 10th Principle on Anti-Corruption has long [recommended Collective Action](htt

An interview with Gilbert Sendugwa, Senior Regional Manager Africa of the Uganda chapter of CoST – the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative. He gives an insight into a recent UK Business Integrity Initiative-funded project on “Promoting fair business practices between the government and the private sector". Can you tell us about the problem you are working to solve? Yes: corruption in infrastructure procurement in Uganda. It undermines our coun

We are delighted to have been selected by the B20 Italy 2021 Integrity and Compliance Task Force as a Network Partner. This will enable us to bring to the table our many years of expertise in anti-corruption Collective Action and other novel approaches to private-sector integrity and compliance. As a global go-to centre on anti-corruption Collective Action, the Basel

How can local certification of small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) help to alleviate anti-corruption due diligence for SMEs as well as multinational corporations (MNC) seeking to work with them? A new Working Paper by the Basel Institute’s Collective Action team attempts to answer that question, which is of real practical relevance to businesses around the world. The paper offers six clear recommendations to practitioners based on discussions and analysis of current local certification initi

An illuminating new report by our OECD partners on Responsible Business Conduct and Anti-Corruption Compliance in Southeast Asia illustrates three points we have long emphasised at the Basel Institute. First, how corruption, environmental, human rights and other elements of sustainable and responsible business conduct are increasingly being integrated within company-wide risk m

Gold industry experts from across the private and non-profit sectors came together at Basel Gold Day on 9 October 2020 to explore perspectives on the challenges of ensuring responsible and sustainable gold supply chains. The event was organised by Professor Mark Pieth, President of the Basel Institute on Governance and author of the book [Gold Laundering](https://baselgovernance.org/publications