Six ways ICC helps businesses fight corruption

  • 9 December 2016
Innovation

In honour of Anti-corruption day, an international day observed by the United Nations (UN), here are six tools ICC has developed for businesses to challenge corruption and establish integrity across today’s global markets.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a driving force in combatting corruption and has been for decades.

ICC Anti-corruption Clause

In 1977, ICC was the first organization to create regulations attacking all forms of corruption. Rewritten in 2011 by the ICC Commission on Corporate Responsibility and Anti-corruption and the ICC Commission on Commercial Law and Practice, the Clause is a corrective measure used to secure trust between parties and bar corruptive actions from affecting the relationship. It can be used by all sizes of businesses.

ICC Ethics and Compliance Training Handbook

To fight corruption head-on, the training handbook was created to provide businesses with high-quality information on corporate integrity and compliance. The essential guide offers easy to follow instructions on 17 subjects that include: risk assessment, training and education, whistleblowing, internal investigations, resisting solicitation, joint ventures, and the ICC anti-corruption clause.

ICC Rules on Combating Corruption

Used as the foundation of ICC’s anti-corruption work, these rules foster high standards in all business transactions. Working as a method of self-regulation by businesses in conjunction with the applicable national law and essential international instruments, they impart a solid basis for withstanding unscrupulous business practices.

ICC Anti-corruption Third Party Due Diligence Guide for SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are drivers of economic growth in many economies yet often they need capacity building for them to do their part for responsible supply chains and sustainable growth. This new guide addresses these concerns and encourages SMEs to engage in due diligence by creating achievable and manageable due diligence goals. It focuses on corruption risks that SMEs face when engaging third party suppliers, contractors and consultants in an international and domestic setting, and how those risks can be managed.

ICC Guidelines on Gifts and Hospitality

While Gifts and Hospitality are seen as a normal part of commercial practices, there is a fine line that can be passed if not mindful. ICC has established clear guidelines to help businesses certify and sustain a strict policy concerning Gifts and Hospitality. The rules plainly outline and define what constitutes bribery, for example, to avoid confusion and prevent such dishonest practices from arising.

ICC Third Party Guidelines Whistleblowing

Even today fraud is still a massive threat in and to the business world. Whistleblowing is vital in exposing corruption at the core. It plays an invaluable and effective role in revealing corporate misconduct. ICC’s guidelines allow businesses to establish clear policies that encourage awareness, make employees comfortable reporting without fear of repercussions, and in turn permits the company to handle those concerns in an appropriate manner before an illegal act is committed.