There is a strong business case for Collective Action against corruption - and more and more companies, law enforcement agencies, international organisations and civil society representatives are willing to engage. Which is good, because we need all players around the table to achieve sustainable change. 

These were key recurring messages during the Basel Institute's 3rd International Collective Action Conference, which took place on 14-15 November 2018 at the Volkshaus Basel, Switzerland.

Over 200 participants from 40 countries across 5 continents came together to share their wide-ranging experience in using Collective Action effectively to tackle corruption and prevent bribery. Among those present were business leaders, government and public sector representatives, key members of international organisations and financial institutions, lawyers and law enforcement experts, academics, civil society members, activists and many that span several of those categories.

Presentations and panels included insights into law enforcement, behavioural ethics, technology, certification, compliance and emerging markets – among many other topics. You can see the full agenda here. A conference report will be issued shortly on the B20 Collective Action Hub. 

The conference also saw the launch of an exciting new Collective Action project: the Tainted Assets Initiative. With the support of the OECD Secretariat, this multi-stakeholder initiative aims to develop a practical resolution mechanism to enable companies and countries to address historic “taint”, such as a legacy of corruption, in assets they hold or wish to acquire or dispose of. The launch marks the formation of the project’s secretariat at the Basel Institute.

The Basel Institute is grateful to the conference funder, Siemens Integrity Initiative, and to the sponsors, KPMG and Hughes, Hubbard & Reed, for making this valuable event possible.