The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) has launched a new initiative on Tuesday that petitions governments to implement anti-corruption practices and support good governance systems.
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The campaign, ‘Call to Action: Anti-Corruption and the Global Development Agenda’, marks the tenth year of the inclusion of the tenth UNGC principle, which is focused on anti-corruption.
Corruption continues to be a critical challenge for businesses, noted UNGC Executive Director Georg Kell. “It was clear a decade ago – and remains today – that corruption so profoundly corrodes sound business practice and good governance, and thus our ability to realise the other nine principles,” added Kell.
The UNGC, which was formed in 2000, seeks companies’ support to implement and adhere to its ten principles - centred on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
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It was clear a decade ago – and remains today – that corruption so profoundly corrodes sound business practice and good governance, and thus our ability to realise the other nine principles
Georg Kell, UNGC Executive Director
The signatories to the ‘Call to Action’ would seek specific actions from governments including:
- Full implementation of the tenets of the UN Convention against Corruption treaty and creation of policies that gives incentives to good corporate behaviour
- Commitment to reduce corruption risks from procurement and contract processes of large-scale projects that are designed to support sustainable development
- Commitment to provide platforms for a competitive and transparent procurement processes such as public advertising of all government procurement cases
- Transparency in relation to revenues received by governments from private sector companies
- Support corporate efforts in anti-corruption, corporate governance, innovative collective action and public-private partnership initiatives
Kell stressed that a culture of integrity, transparency, accountability and good governance is necessary to achieve an equitable, inclusive and sustainable global economy.
To join the campaign, businesses may submit a letter of intent signed by a C-suite level executive or Board Member responsible for corporate governance stating the company’s support to the ‘Call to Action’ and its commitment to prevent corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery, explained UNGC in a document.
The campaign was developed through a working group comprised of the UN Global Compact,Transparency International, the Open Contracting Initiative, the World Bank Institute and the support of other organisations such as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Global Organization of Parlamentarians against Corruption.
UNGC said the collected signatories supporting the ‘Call to Action’ will be forwarded to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to highlight the private sector’s continuing efforts to work with other stakeholders to address corruption and will be acknowledged at the UN Global Compact’s Tenth Anniversary of the Tenth Principle, which will be held in New York on 10 December 2014.
