Series of DEPE training sessions in Argentina

This month, Alliance for Integrity and its local partner organisations, the AHK Argentina and the Argentinian Global Compact Network, held two ‘De Empresas Para Empresas’ (DEPE) corruption prevention training sessions in Argentina’s capital.

The two training sessions were supported by the Argentinian waste disposal management company for the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, CEAMSE, and by the Argentinian Chamber of Medical Supplies, Implantable Medical Devices and Medical Equipment (CADIEM), respectively. They were held on 14 and 23 May and addressed employees and members of the respective cooperating organisations. The approach reflects the Alliance for Integrity’s stated aim to focus more on specific economic sectors and to offer compliance courses that are customised to their respective special needs. The training for CEAMSE employees marks also the begin of a series of trainings specifically adopted to the requirements of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) which are thought to broaden DEPE’s scope to other significant economic actors, beyond its traditional focus on small and medium sized enterprises.

DEPE training sessions seek to provide private and public companies with assistance in implementing an effective corruption prevention system and to train their employees in matters of corporate compliance. Experienced practitioners from major private and public companies with well-established anti-corruption systems share their best tools, practices and skills and try to raise awareness about the competitive advantages of ethical business conduct.

On 14 May, 45 CEAMSE employees were trained by the compliance experts Diego Martínez, External Consultant, Anti-Corruption Office Argentina, Maria Helena Hevia, Local Compliance Officer, Fresenius Medical Care Argentina S.A., and Jorge Bermúdez, Legal and Corporate Transparency Manager, EANA.
The associates of CADIEM, in turn, were able to gain insights from Dorothea Garff Lawyer, Beccar Varela, María Laura Parcerisa, Compliance Coordinator, Enap Sipetrol Argentina, María Soledad Urri, Ethics and Transparency Manager, Trenes Argentinos Infraestructura (ADIF SE), and Roberto Mendenson, Sub Regional Compliance Officer, Merck S.A..

After an introductory presentation about the work of the Alliance for Integrity, its DEPE programme and its planned activities in the country and region by Mariana Regueira, AHK Argentina, the participants were introduced to the topic of corruption and corruption prevention. An overview of the different types of corruption and how they may affect a company’s’ business were presented and discussed, while practical examples from the experts’ experience provided a basis for the development of practical tools and solutions to prevent corruption.

Once the participants have concluded the one-day training programme, they receive access to the online Support Desk, which provides expert assistance and answers to practical questions regarding the implementation of corruption prevention measures.