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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

General

What is the Alliance for Integrity?

The Alliance for Integrity is a business-driven, multi-stakeholder initiative seeking to strengthen corruption prevention measures in the economic system and global supply chains. As a learning and implementation network, the initiative promotes Collective Action by all relevant actors from the private sector, the public sector and civil society.

The Alliance for Integrity is currently active in 14 countries worldwide. Key activities include awareness raising, building compliance capacities among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and addressing, through public-private dialogue, the framework conditions for trade and investment. Solutions successfully tested in one country are replicated in other regions and fed into the global policy dialogue.

How is the Alliance for Integrity funded?

The Initiative is financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Together with its implementing partners around the globe, the Alliance for Integrity is developing new approaches to fund its activities. The private sector contributes with human resources and infrastructure, among others.

Why is the German Government supporting the topic?

Corruption is a substantial obstacle to sustainable development. Preventing corruption contributes to reducing inequalities; it strengthens the rule of law, enables investments and improves the business environment. Preventing and combating corruption is therefore a central concern of German development policy. Germany supports the establishment of and compliance with international standards against corruption through active participation in the United Nations, the World Bank, the G7 and the G20 as well as in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Which role do organisations and companies play in the Alliance for Integrity?

The Alliance for Integrity is a multi-stakeholder initiative composed of partners and supporters from the private and public sectors as well as civil society, who share the common goal of strengthening corruption prevention measures in the economic system and global supply chains. All activities are co-created and implemented in close cooperation with all partners and supporters involved. Consequently, the active engagement of all members is crucial to the success of the Alliance for Integrity. Their knowledge, experience and commitment mark the cornerstone on which the initiative’s work is based.

This approach is also reflected in the governance structure of the Alliance for Integrity. The Steering Committee that currently consists of 18 members across all sectors and regions leads the decision-making process with the goal of promoting responsible and clean business practices globally. On the country level, six Advisory Groups have been established. Each Advisory Group serves as a Sounding Board for the network in the respective country. Its primary role is to provide direction and guidance to the initiative. The body consists of supporters, thought leaders, practitioners, and experts.

For more information please click here.

Why is the Alliance for Integrity following a Collective Action approach?

Corruption is a complex problem that cannot be solved by governments or companies alone. To successfully prevent corruption, the involvement of all relevant stakeholders from the private sector, the public sector and civil society is necessary. The World Bank defines Collective Action as “a collaborative and sustained process of cooperation amongst stakeholders. It increases the impact and credibility of individual action, brings vulnerable individual players into an alliance of like-minded organisations and levels the playing field between competitors.” In line with this, we are convinced that Collective Action is the most effective tool to curb corruption in a sustainable manner at the regional as well as at the international level.

Why is it important for businesses to promote integrity?

Businesses are both sources and victims of corruption and therefore have a common interest in compliance policies. Companies of all sizes can become meaningful agents of change through small and large decisive actions.

From a business perspective, compliance is a key element for sustainable growth. Companies with high integrity standards tend to have better financial performance than others, demonstrating the link between good ethical practices and market needs.

Compliance has several advantages for companies with positive effects on:

customer acquisition and retention;
transparency and brand reputation;
employee attraction, retention, and engagement;
improved productivity and overall financial performance;
risk management and mitigation.

A common opinion is that compliance is only for big companies, with many employees, high capital and a complex supply chain. However, especially for SMEs, business integrity is not a choice, but a matter of business survival and a prerequisite for growth: a strong compliance programme can enhance new opportunities, such as doing business with governments or multinational companies.

Where can I find up-to-date information on the work of the Alliance for Integrity?

We always try to keep our website as updated as possible. In the news section you can find detailed reports about past activities. We also invite you to take a look at our event and training pages to not miss out on any upcoming activity. For daily updates, please visit us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Offers

The Alliance for Integrity has developed and compiled a variety of services on the topics of integrity and compliance that can be categorised as follows:

Awareness Raising & Information Exchange

We want to spread the message about the importance of business integrity for building resilient companies and a fair economic system. To this end, the Alliance for Integrity has developed a wide range of event formats, publications and other multimedia content to raise awareness for the need of integrity and to share international best practices. This includes organising conferences and workshops related to corruption prevention and compliance, gathering knowledge, carrying out research and distributing the results in a practically applicable and easily accessible manner, as well as ensuring an increased understanding and awareness of the problems and effects of corruption amongst all of society’s stakeholders. Find an overview of all publications here or take a look at our YouTube channel.

Digital Tools

Digital tools shape the future of integrity. Staying ahead of the trend, the Alliance for Integrity has developed TheIntegrityApp to give companies and governments a helping hand in overcoming corruption and uncertainty. TheIntegrityApp is a digital tool for the self-assessment of compliance programmes that is available in six languages (German, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Bahasa Indonesia). By answering a short questionnaire, users receive a score between 0 and 100, reflecting the strengths and weaknesses of the company’s compliance efforts in relation to international standards. After the self-evaluation, each company gets tailored access to training material, all designed to improve the company's integrity standards. In addition, the app includes a risk assessment feature that is based on different situations in which a company may face corruption. It is able to measure whether the company is exposed to these risk factors and what internal measures need to be implemented to mitigate them. Learn more about TheIntegrityApp here.

Gender

As forerunner in exploring the nexus between gender and corruption, the Alliance for Integrity aims to raise awareness of the various challenges women face when confronted with corruption. In this spirit, the initiative has launched a topic page that provides relevant publications, activities, best practice examples and statements from the network on the link between the two concepts. In addition, the Alliance for Integrity organises regular corruption prevention trainings specifically aimed at businesswomen. In different exchange formats, such as the Integrity Coffee in Mexico and Colombia or the Integri-Tea in India, women entrepreneurs get the chance to openly discuss challenges and share experiences related to corruption in their businesses. Find the topic page on gender and corruption with all relevant information here.

Peer-to-Peer Learning & International Exchange

Companies learn best from each other. That is why the Alliance for Integrity provides various platforms to openly exchange experiences, best practices and lessons learnt between the regions. The activities are aimed at companies of all sizes and actors from the public sector and civil society.

The Alliance for Integrity’s Global Conference, for instance, aims to provide global perspectives on specific integrity issues. In plenary discussions, break-out sessions and interactive formats, experts from the public and private sectors as well as civil society discuss current trends and developments in the field of business integrity. Another well-proven concept is the Integrity Week that brings together relevant stakeholders from different sectors to develop practical solutions, share knowledge and spread best practices. During the week, the Alliance for Integrity, together with its partners, organises various events for different target groups that address key issues of corruption prevention. In addition, interregional exchange series on specific compliance topics are held regularly. Find all upcoming events here.

Training programmes

A cornerstone of the Alliance for Integrity’s work is the ‘From Businesses to Businesses’ (De Empresas para Empresas – DEPE) corruption prevention training. Together with more than 250 dedicated trainers from around the world, the Initiative supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing and implementing effective compliance measures. Participants gain practical tools to solve problems related to corruption and to increase their competitiveness. The training programme is characterised by a very practical approach and its orientation towards SMEs with little or no experience in countering corruption. Based on participant’s feedback, the programme is continuously developed and specified. At the moment it covers ten different sectors and their respective target groups, including the healthcare sector, agriculture and state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

Due to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the training programme was adapted to a digital format in 2020. This will be used in future to promote interregional exchange and reach companies located in rural areas. All upcoming training activities can be found here.

Does the Alliance for Integrity provide certifications?

The Alliance for Integrity does not offer any official certifications. Rather, our work aims at building compliance capacities and provide practical tools to help SMEs implement effective compliance programmes. However, participants who successfully complete all modules of the corruption prevention training programme will receive a certificate of participation.

How to get involved

Why should I get involved in the Alliance for Integrity?

Being part of the Alliance for Integrity means being part of a lively global network. As Collective Action initiative the Alliance for Integrity provides an open platform where businesses, public sector institutions, civil society organisations and academia can get together to share ideas, experiences, lessons learnt and best practices. The cross-sectoral and interregional exchange opens up new perspectives, which in turn can be fed into your own organisation and help to improve entrenched processes. Working towards a common goal builds trusting relations between all actors involved that can lead to new ways of cooperation and (business) opportunities.

As member of the Alliance for Integrity, you clearly demonstrate your commitment to transparent business practices and high integrity standards. This not only has a positive effect on your reputation, but also increases the visibility of your anti-corruption efforts among your stakeholders. As actor of change you contribute to raising awareness of the need for integrity and help SMEs that are at the beginning of their integrity journey to set up effective compliance mechanisms. This not only lowers the risk of corruption in the supply chain, but also contributes to a level playing field.

In short, organisations that participate in the Alliance for Integrity can pursue their common goals in a joint and concentrated effort much more effectively than they could do individually.

How can I get involved?

You are only four simple steps away from becoming part of the Alliance for Integrity:

Step 1: Contact
Send a short email to ntgrtynttvgzd

Step 2: Exchange
Following, we will get to know each other and discuss ideas about a possible cooperation.

Step 3: Collaboration Design
Together we will develop a customised way of collaborating.

Step 4: Implement Collaboration
As partner or supporter of the Alliance for Integrity, you become part of a global network. Once you have signed the Letter of Support, your logo and name will be placed on our website. Find a list of all partners and supporters of the Alliance for Integrity here.

You want to show your business partners that you are part of the Alliance for Integrity? We provide the ‘We take action’ logo that can be placed prominently on your website after the final approval of the Alliance for Integrity’s communication team.

For more information, please click here.

What is the difference between partners and supporters?

A “Partner” is an organisational entity, e.g. a civil society organisation or business association or a public sector entity, which has submitted an approved Letter of Support to the Alliance for Integrity expressing the organisation’s support of and intention to advance the Alliance for Integrity’s goals.

A “Supporter” is a private or stated-owned company that has submitted an approved Letter of Support to the Alliance for Integrity expressing the company’s support of and intention to advance the Alliance for Integrity’s goals.

Both partners and supporters are expected to be active members of the Alliance for Integrity i.e. to participate in one of the Initiative’s activities at least twice a year.

How can I become a trainer of the Alliance for Integrity?

As trainer of the Alliance for Integrity, you lead the corruption prevention trainings together with other compliance experts from your region on a pro bono basis. Based on your experience in the field of anti-corruption you help SMEs develop, implement and continuously monitor an effective compliance management system in one of the countries where the Alliance for Integrity is active. You become part of our international trainer community and get access to special events and information.

To become a trainer, you should have more than three years of experience in the field of compliance and in delivering trainings, ideally as a Compliance Officer in a private company. You should also work for a company or organisation that has not been involved in a corruption scandal in the last two years. Your company should back up your engagement by signing our Letter of Support.

If you meet these requirements and would like to join us, please send an email to integrityinitiative@giz.de. Our local colleagues will explain the next steps and inform you about the date of the next Train-the-Trainers Workshop. We look forward to welcoming you in the Alliance for Integrity!