International Anti-Corruption Day 2023: Alliance for Integrity advances business integrity around the globe

On the occasion of the 20th International Anti-Corruption Day, a series of gatherings highlighted the role of the private sector in upholding integrity, especially within vulnerable contexts. The Alliance for Integrity network organized and supported several events to stress the importance of collective action for countering corruption in the economic system.

For the first time ever, a Private Sector Forum was held at the biannual Conference of the States Parties (COSP), the main policymaking body of the United Nations Convention against Corruption. One of the sessions, which Alliance for Integrity co-organized jointly with several partners, among them the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Global Compact, in Atlanta on 12 December 2023, focused on the importance of private sector compliance in improving supply chain integrity. The conversation started with insights from multinational companies, business associations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), emphasizing their strategies for upholding integrity within and beyond their organizational boundaries. They highlighted the significance of extending integrity practices to third-party associations as part of their risk management framework. The speakers included Michael Ortwein, Chief Compliance Officer at General Motors, Iliana Nuñez, Director of Operations at RIPIPSA, Dr. Jan Sprafke, Chief Compliance and Integrity Officer at Ericsson, and Lola Adekanye, Programme Director for Africa at CIPE.

For the third time, on 08 December, the Alliance for Integrity co-organized a joint hybrid event with DICO (Deutsches Institut für Compliance), the UN Global Compact Network Germany, and Transparency International Germany. The topic of this year was “Compliance in a Fragile Context”. The panel, composed of international compliance experts, discussed innovative strategies tailored to instill integrity within SMEs, emphasizing adaptable compliance solutions and inclusive principles. The speakers included Alexandra Herzog (Chairwoman at Transparency International Germany), Catalina Gomez Garcia (Profesional Senior Sostenibilidad e Inversión Social, Frontera Energy Colombia), Markus Bamberger (Chief Compliance Officer at the Robert Bosch GmbH), Daria Ruban Daria R. (Coordinator of the Anti-Corruption Collective Action Programme at the UNGCN Ukraine), Kaunain Rahman (Business Integrity Specialist at Transparency International), Rainer Markfort (Board Member at the Deutsches Institut für Compliance, DICO), Marcel Engel (Executive Director at the UNGCD), Christoph Kowalewski (Member of Transparency International Germany and Board Member at the UNGCD), and Carolina Echevarria (Head of the Global Secretariat at the Alliance for Integrity).

Continuing with the activities, the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) was commemorated on 5 and 6 December in Merida, Mexico. It was attended by the most relevant actors in the fight against corruption at a global level. The dialogue during these two days of conferences focused on the importance of the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Corruption in Mexico and the world. Alliance for Integrity and GIZ played a very relevant role in the panel where state and non-state actors shared their strategies and projects that have contributed to the implementation of the Convention globally. Angel Olague, Focal Point of the Alliance for Integrity in Mexico and Julia Unger, Coordinator of the Governance Cluster of GIZ Mexico represented the Alliance for Integrity and the GIZ in the event.

Also in Latin America, this time in Peru, members of the Alliance for Integrity participated in the Integrity Week 2023 organized by the Secretariat of Public Integrity (Secretaría de Integridad Pública, SIP) with the support of GIZ SouthernCone, which took place on 6 December held online at the Universidad del Pacífico. Fifteen companies attended three panel discussions where good integrity practices with a gender perspective were exchanged, with a focus on cultural change and corruption prevention.

On 30 November, the trilateral cooperation project between Germany, Colombia and Mexico for the respect of human rights held the event "From integrity to human rights due diligence in supply chains" in Bogota, Colombia. In a multi-actor dialogue, organized in cooperation with AHK Colombia Alliance for Integrity and the support of Novartis, representatives of Siemens S.A.S, Novartis, ANDI, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Cueros Velez, and UNODC, shared good practices in anti-corruption as well as the challenges and opportunities that Colombian companies face regarding the implementation of international legislation such as the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, LkSG) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

Angel Olague, Focal Point of the Alliance for Integrity in Mexico participated at the second meeting of citizen and business participation against corruption, which was organized by the Mexican Secretary of Public Function on 28 November. He presented a keynote speech on the launch of the publication "Guide to ensure the gender perspective in a business integrity programme" as well as commentators of the recently published "Model of Business Integrity Policy" for the Mexican Republic.

The 20th International Anti-Corruption Day witnessed significant engagement facilitated by various stakeholders, including the Alliance for Integrity. Their involvement in diverse forums, from UN-led discussions to localized events, highlighted the critical role of private enterprises in addressing corruption. Multinational perspectives and innovative compliance strategies shared during these gatherings underscored the global call for unified action in promoting ethical business practices across different sectors and scales.