What happens when different stakeholders, such as businesses, governments, civil society, international organisations and academia come together around shared integrity challenges? The 6th International Collective Action Conference, held in Basel in June 2026, offered a powerful answer: Collective Action gives actors the conditions they need to tackle integrity challenges together that no single one of them could address alone.

Under the theme “Business integrity in motion,” the conference brought together 154 participants from 103 organisations across more than 40 countries – a mix that reflects a central reality of today’s integrity landscape: corruption cuts across borders, sectors and institutions, so isolated responses rarely go far enough. Collective Action pools the knowledge, resources and influence of different actors around shared challenges and creates opportunities to address them together.

This was at the heart of the opening keynote by Hanne Juncher, Director of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law at the Council of Europe:

Collective Action is not just one tool among many. It is one of the most effective responses we have to corruption in today’s interconnected world.

The discussions throughout the conference explored what it takes to translate that potential into practice – from the role of boards in driving business integrity and the opportunities and risks of technology, to measuring compliance and incentivising integrity among SMEs.

Celebrating those who put Collective Action into motion

The International Collective Action Awards provided a tangible illustration of this approach. The 2026 winners showed two complementary ways of driving change.

Developing practical solutions to concrete integrity challenges

The 2026 Collective Action Inspirational Newcomer Award went to CoST Malawi, for its Infrastructure Transparency Initiative Red Flags Algorithm – an initiative that brings together diverse stakeholders and uses technology to strengthen transparency and accountability in infrastructure governance.

The initiative demonstrates how collaboration can become a practical tool for identifying and addressing integrity risks. By bringing actors together around public infrastructure data and developing and embedding a tailored algorithm into its publicly available infrastructure procurement platform, CoST Malawi is helping shift transparency from simply publishing information towards actively using data to identify potential risks and strengthen accountability.

For the CoST Malawi team, the recognition was about much more than an award:

This award is a proud moment for the CoST Malawi team and a testament to what can be achieved when diverse stakeholders unite around a common purpose. Collective Action is at the heart of the CoST approach, and this recognition reflects the commitment, dedication and partnership of everyone involved in promoting transparent, inclusive and accountable infrastructure governance in Malawi.

Building the networks, capabilities and trust needed to sustain change

The Gretta Fenner Outstanding Achievement in Collective Action Award went to the Alliance for Integrity, in recognition of its sustained contribution to advancing Collective Action and promoting business integrity.

In particular, for building one of the world’s largest business integrity Collective Action networks encompassing companies, business associations, governments and civil society organisations across 16 countries. Through it, they have supported hundreds of trainers and companies in strengthening compliance and anti-corruption practices, with a strong focus on SMEs.

The work of Alliance for Integrity demonstrates how networks connect actors who might otherwise work in isolation, while training builds the capacity to act and sustained engagement helps build the trust needed for collaboration to continue.

As Alliance for Integrity reflected after the award:

We are deeply honoured that the Alliance for Integrity won the Gretta Fenner Outstanding Achievement in Collective Action Award. While the award was presented to the Secretariat, we see it as recognition of the entire Alliance for Integrity network, including our regional hubs, local partners, trainers, companies and all those who contribute their time, expertise and commitment to advancing business integrity.

The Secretariat holds the award, but it represents the collective work of our network. That is why the award is now travelling across our hubs and communities. It has already been to Paraguay and South Africa, with many more stops to come. Each stop is an opportunity to celebrate the people and partnerships that make the Alliance what it is, and to recognise the importance of local engagement in turning Collective Action into meaningful change.

For us, the award is a shared symbol of the work being done across the network. It belongs to everyone who contributes to building trust, strengthening capacity and bringing businesses, governments and civil society together around a shared commitment to integrity. We are proud to hold it at the Secretariat, but even more proud to share it with the network that made this recognition possible.

Together, the two winners demonstrate different ways Collective Action can create meaningful change. CoST Malawi built a new solution and showed how collaboration can generate innovative responses to specific integrity risks. Alliance for Integrity showed how building the relationships and capacity can create the conditions for change to take hold.

From conversation to continued collaboration

The conference gave participants room for discussion, opportunities to build relationships and explore further collaboration. Practitioners and researchers exchanged experiences across countries and sectors with a focus on how Collective Action initiatives can remain relevant, adaptable and impactful over time.

The conference was supported by a diverse group of organisations from across the global Collective Action community of practice, including the Alliance for Integrity, TEID, Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN), UNODC, OECD, Transparency International and UN Global Compact. Their support, alongside that of the Siemens Integrity Initiative and conference sponsors AtkinsRéalis and Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions SA, reflected the breadth and strength of the community coming together to advance Collective Action.

As the conference closed, one message stood out: business integrity is increasingly a collective endeavour. Tackling corruption and strengthening trust requires actors to move beyond isolated commitments and find practical ways to work together.

The challenge for all of us now is to keep momentum going – expanding partnerships, adapting to new challenges and turning collaboration into lasting improvements for businesses, governments and citizens.

Learn more

• Report from the 6th International Collective Action Conference

• Collective Action at the Basel Institute