[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":311},["ShallowReactive",2],{"news-moving-with-africa-opportunities-for-business-and-development-119":3,"news-moving-with-africa-opportunities-for-business-and-development-119-similar":42,"i-heroicons:arrow-left-20-solid":306},[4],{"id":5,"status":6,"date_created":7,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"date":12,"topic":13,"slug":14,"activity":15,"nid":19,"topics":20,"activities":21,"programme":22,"area":22,"websites":23,"language":22,"image":25,"translation_of":22,"countries":36,"tags":37,"authors":38,"images":39,"translations":40,"content":41},10021,"published","2022-05-26T22:58:22.000Z","2025-08-31T23:14:59.000Z","Moving with Africa - opportunities for business and development","","On 28 June 2017, Gemma Aiolfi, Head of Corporate Governance, Compliance and Collective Action at the Basel Institute, will take part in a panel discussion during the ECAS 2017 Business and Development Forum “Moving with Africa” at the University of Basel. \n\nThe breakaway panel session on “Accountability and anti-corruption measures” will tackle the issue of corruption and bribery as major concerns both for socio-economic development and for doing business in an African context. It will taking into account different perspectives and ask what corruption means for the societies concerned, what role rules, norms and interests play, and what individuals and organisations can do in order to prevent themselves from being involved in illegal and illegitimate activities.\n\nWith the Business and Development Forum the University of Basel offers a platform for the exchange between academics and decision makers in business, government and development cooperation. The aim is to discuss opportunities and challenges for international business arising from Swiss-African relations as well as the expectations by African societies and stakeholders towards these relations. The Basel Institute is associated with the University of Basel.\n\nThe forum takes place in the run-up of the 7th European Conference on African Studies, which is hosted by the University of Basel from 29 June to 1 July 2017. The conference will attract up to 2000 scholars working on the social, political, economic and cultural development of African societies.\n\nFor more information on the panellists and the programme, [click here](https:\u002F\u002Fafricaforum.unibas.ch\u002Fen\u002F).","2017-06-17",[10],"moving-with-africa-opportunities-for-business-and-development-119",[16,17,18],"Events","Presentations","International cooperation",119,[],[16,17,18],null,[24],"Main page",{"id":26,"storage":27,"filename_disk":28,"filename_download":29,"title":9,"type":30,"created_on":31,"modified_on":31,"charset":22,"filesize":32,"width":33,"height":34,"duration":22,"embed":22,"description":22,"location":22,"tags":22,"metadata":35,"focal_point_x":22,"focal_point_y":22,"tus_id":22,"tus_data":22,"uploaded_on":31},"f868e750-fd92-4f89-b9ee-7d69cc72f46f","local","f868e750-fd92-4f89-b9ee-7d69cc72f46f.webp","tmp.webp","image\u002Fwebp","2025-05-12T21:24:34.000Z",89804,1400,448,{},[],[],[],[],[],[],[43,83,117,152,185,209,234,256,283],{"id":44,"body":45,"status":6,"type":46,"date":47,"slug":48,"title":49,"image":50,"countries":51,"topic":53,"activity":56,"tags":59,"nid":68,"topics":69,"activities":71,"authors":72,"images":74,"websites":75,"area":22,"programme":22,"language":22,"translations":76,"translation_of":22,"user_created":77,"date_created":78,"user_updated":79,"date_updated":80,"content":81,"link":82},9812,"High-profile law enforcement operations against illegal wildlife trade (IWT), such as Interpol’s [Operation Thunderball](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.interpol.int\u002Fen\u002FNews-and-Events\u002FNews\u002F2019\u002FWildlife-trafficking-organized-crime-hit-hard-by-joint-INTERPOL-WCO-global-enforcement-operation) in July 2019 and the arrest of notorious trafficker [Moazu Kromah](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cbsnews.com\u002Fnews\u002Fwildlife-heroin-trafficking-ring-africa-bust-southern-district-new-york-fish-and-wildlife\u002F) in Uganda in June, have drawn welcome attention to IWT as a financial and organised crime and not only a conservation issue. Yet in working to strengthen legal frameworks and law enforcement capacity in countries that suffer from high levels of IWT, we must not forget the social drivers and facilitators behind wildlife trafficking – factors that laws alone are powerless to change. This quick guide draws on a recent Basel Institute Working Paper on [Corruption and wildlife trafficking](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Fnew-working-paper-corruption-and-illegal-wildlife-trade-east-africa), published in the context of a multi-disciplinary programme of work focused on financial crime in IWT.\n\n### Wildlife trafficking is a lucrative crime…\n\nIWT is sometimes described as a low-risk, high-reward business. In many source and transit countries in Southern and Eastern Africa, for example, rates of detection and arrests are low, prosecutions are rare and penalties are weak even for those caught red-handed. These low risks are offset against the high prices that traffickers can obtain by selling valuable illegal wildlife products such as ivory, rhino horn and pangolin scales to black markets mainly in Asia.\n\n### …yet it’s not just about money and the law\n\nA growing body of research supports the idea that behaviour is driven by a complex array of social, cultural and other behavioural factors. Illicit behaviour is thus not only the result of a cost-benefit analysis by individuals seeking personal economic gain. Nor, therefore, will it be solved by laws and law enforcement alone. International agreements such as [CITES](https:\u002F\u002Fcites.org\u002F), which regulates the global trade in wildlife, along with national efforts to strengthen the enforcement of formal regulations, are necessary but not sufficient. This is because they do not address the underlying social context that motivates individuals to engage in trafficking in the first place. With a better understanding of these factors, we will be better equipped to design effective interventions that influence the attitudes and behaviours of people directly involved in the early stages of IWT, as well as those who are indifferent or directly support them.\n\n### What drives people to engage in wildlife trafficking?\n\nBeyond purely economic factors, our preliminary research indicates three main beliefs that drive and justify individuals’ decisions to engage in wildlife crime. Firstly, that trafficking engenders wealth and status. The financial rewards of IWT allow poachers and traders to acquire more wealth than they can access through relying on the formal economy. The money trickles down through social and family networks to benefit the rest of the community. This raises their prestige and status in the community and simultaneously helps to legitimise the illegal behaviour. Secondly, there is often a belief that wildlife trafficking is a victimless crime. In many countries where humans and wild animals live in close proximity, animals are viewed as either sources of food or nuisances that destroy crops and threaten personal security. Widespread human-wildlife conflict can drive people to consider wildlife products as any other kind of commodity. This legitimises behaviours such as actively engaging in trafficking (on the side of the citizens) or facilitating trafficking by turning a blind eye (on the side of public officials). Thirdly, members of a community may consider they have a moral right to appropriate wildlife. Communities that have lost land to newly created (or colonial-era) safari parks and protected environmental zones may resist legislation protecting wildlife on the grounds that it criminalises a generations-old right to access and use wildlife.\n\n### How do socio-economic and political factors play a role?\n\nCommunities along the major wildlife trafficking routes in Africa generally suffer from poverty and limited employment opportunities. The constrained socio-economic context can drive otherwise law-abiding individuals, be it members of the community or local public officials, to assist in activities such as moving contraband from point A to point B. Poverty therefore sets the stage for both poaching and the trafficking of commodities across cities and countries. A thriving supply of illegal wildlife products is the result. Ironically, in demand countries on the other side of the globe, it is the increasing wealth of the middle and upper classes that is helping fuel the demand for these in the first place. The political context is also key to explaining how wildlife trafficking can take place with impunity. Poor governance, endemic corruption and constrained public institutions in source and transit countries are important facilitators of IWT. Even more worryingly, there are countless examples of militants and terrorist groups engaging in poaching and wildlife trafficking to fund their operations, from the Lord’s Resistance Army to the Janjaweed Arab militia of Sudan.\n\n### Drivers and facilitators are intertwined – and we need to understand both\n\nThe socio-economic and political context in which IWT takes place increases and facilitates the propensity for individuals to engage in trafficking. Social norms and beliefs help explain the underlying motivations and justifications individuals may adopt to actually engage in trafficking. We need to understand both a lot better if we want laws and law enforcement to stand a chance of effectively taking down the trafficking networks threatening our endangered animals and global biodiversity.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   Learn more about the Basel Institute’s [social norms research](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance\u002Fresearch-projects\u002Fsocial-norms).\n*   Read about how insights into social norms can be applied to prevent [bribery in the Tanzanian health sector](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fclaudia-baez-camargos-quick-guide-social-norms-and-corruption).\n*   Download the full Working Paper 30: [Corruption and wildlife trafficking: exploring drivers, facilitators and networks behind illegal wildlife trade in East Africa](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Fnew-working-paper-corruption-and-illegal-wildlife-trade-east-africa).\n*   Read about the Basel Institute’s programme of work focused on [intelligence-led action against financial crime in IWT](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fillegal-wildlife-trade).\n*   [Download a PDF of this quick guide.](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2020-08\u002Fqg11_drivers_iwt.pdf)","Blog","2019-09-06","saba-kassas-quick-guide-to-drivers-and-facilitators-of-wildlife-trafficking-997","Saba Kassa’s quick guide to drivers and facilitators of wildlife trafficking","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F712e0be9-042c-4216-8b3b-d5ea91cb6c48?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[52],6527,[54,55],"Green Corruption","Public Governance",[57,58],"Research","Insights",[60,64],{"tags_id":61},{"id":62,"name":63},1303,"Environment",{"tags_id":65},{"id":66,"name":67},848,"Behavioural science",997,[54,70],"Corruption Prevention and Public Governance",[57,58],[73],881,[],[24],[],"03bebfd8-0b40-4a2a-820d-b9d9c13b9de6","2022-05-26T22:56:01.000Z","3d9ff205-1640-4f34-b5b6-86977f51bbd6","2026-05-29T22:21:57.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fsaba-kassas-quick-guide-to-drivers-and-facilitators-of-wildlife-trafficking-997",{"id":84,"body":85,"status":6,"type":46,"date":86,"slug":87,"title":88,"image":89,"countries":90,"topic":92,"activity":95,"tags":97,"nid":104,"topics":105,"activities":107,"authors":108,"images":110,"websites":111,"area":22,"programme":22,"language":22,"translations":112,"translation_of":22,"user_created":77,"date_created":113,"user_updated":79,"date_updated":114,"content":115,"link":116},9641,"Turning wildlife trafficking into a high-risk, low-profit trade is challenging. Our recent research on [why](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fwildlife-trafficking-uganda-poverty-governance-and-perceptions) and [how](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-organised-crime-networks-and-corruption-facilitate-illegal-wildlife-trade-uganda) wildlife trafficking happens in Uganda gives some insights into the factors that sustain the supply of large volumes of wildlife products moving from wildlife habitats in Africa to the hands of consumers all over the world.\n\nThe research shows that structural drivers of weak governance systems and constrained socio-economic contexts provide the macro-level conditions for illegal activities, such as wildlife trafficking, to flourish in Uganda.\n\nAttempting to curtail wildlife trafficking should therefore also consider, account and address the underlying structural foundations of high levels of poverty and corruption that provide a conducive environment for illicit activities and economies.\n\n### Considerations for wildlife trade prevention in Uganda\n\nPractitioners working on developing approaches to fight wildlife trafficking and the associated corruption should consider the following: \n\n*   Islands of effectiveness: Although the Ugandan governance context certainly presents significant challenges, it also provides examples of how it is possible for “islands of effectiveness” to emerge. This term refers to institutions which, despite being embedded in challenging contexts, manage to implement reforms and mechanisms that allow for meaningful improvement in institutional performance and control of corruption outcomes. From this perspective, promoting stronger performance in preventing wildlife trafficking would require attention to working with and incentivising anti-corruption and wildlife “champions” and leaders. It also means closely aligning approaches with national priorities such as the economy, social welfare, corruption and financial crime, natural resource management, environment and peace and security.\n*   Alternative economic opportunities: The development of sustainable schemes to generate alternative economic opportunities for vulnerable groups will be needed to make it less attractive for individuals to support wildlife trafficking. Experiences of reformed poachers confirm that providing alternative livelihood sources or income-generating activities associated with wildlife habitats is an effective deterrent to becoming involved in wildlife trafficking.\n*   Addressing stereotypes: Tackling adverse mental models involves utilising behavioural insights to develop effective information or edutainment campaigns that challenge conventional wisdoms. Public awareness campaigns could disseminate stories and illustrative examples that challenge prevailing beliefs about wildlife and make it less socially acceptable to support wildlife trafficking. The messages could potentially be reinforced through positive role models and could also be tailored to expose the hidden costs of wildlife trafficking and corruption that hurt communities and individuals. \n\nHolistic approaches that tackle both the supply and demand for wildlife products are important. Equally important is to put the spotlight not only on poachers but on the organised criminal networks above them and equally the consumers of wildlife products at the end stage of this illicit market.\n\nAs part of a holistic approach, it is crucial to not only focus on punishment but also prevention. Programmes should consider the drivers, facilitators and functionality of participating in wildlife trafficking. \n\nMoreover, it is essential that high levels of political support and strong (regional) collaborative law enforcement measures converge with conservation efforts at the grassroots level. This should translate into tangible improvements in the lives and livelihoods of those living near wildlife habitats.\n\nAll of this would contribute to Uganda becoming the path of most resistance for wildlife trafficking.\n\n### Six key lessons for practitioners\n\n*   Understanding and addressing context-sensitive drivers of wildlife trafficking can complement traditional approaches to curbing the trade.\n*   Incorporating insights from behavioural theory about how to challenge prevailing stereotypes and bring to light hidden costs associated with the illegal wildlife trade can provide more grassroots legitimisation for the fight against it.  \n*   Wildlife trafficking does not operate in a vacuum. It therefore can only be addressed holistically, considering the larger macro-level conditions of weak governance that provides the background for all sorts of illegal activities to flourish.\n*   Wildlife trafficking networks operate via informal structures of social connections between poachers, middlemen and buyers across vast geographical spaces. The networks are organised yet fluid and dynamic at the same time. Shedding more insights into the invisible social infrastructure that sustains the illicit trade can provide key insights into ways in which to disrupt these networks.\n*   Corruption too often is seen as a tactic – a financial exchange that facilitates the evasion of the law enforcement system. But corruption involves relationships too, social bonds through which public officials are co-opted into the social infrastructure of the network. Insights into the role of public officials in the trafficking networks are crucial to understanding the ways in which rules and regulations are undermined.\n*   “Lack of political will” is a catch-all phrase to explain why laws are in place but systematically undermined. Understanding the particular behaviours that facilitate wildlife trafficking and the incentives that give rise to them can shed light on institutional junctions and processes where corruption risks are highest and which explain why an implementation gap is persistent. This more precise understanding of the problem should be the starting point to develop better interventions.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   [Download the full policy brief here.](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fpolicy-brief-5-curbing-wildlife-trafficking-uganda-lessons-practitioners)\n*   Read [Working Paper 33: A worm’s-eye view of wildlife trafficking in Uganda – the path of least resistance.](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fworking-paper-33-worms-eye-view-wildlife-trafficking-uganda-path-least-resistance)\n*   Find out more about our [Public Governance team](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance) and their current [research projects](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance\u002Fresearch-projects).\n*   Learn more about the [Basel Institute's Green Corruption programme](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fgreen-corruption), including our two-year PMI Impact-funded project to prevent corruption from fuelling illegal wildlife trade along the East Africa - South East Asia route. We are grateful to PMI Impact for funding this valuable research.","2020-12-14","policy-recommendations-combating-wildlife-trafficking-in-uganda-1909","Policy recommendations: combating wildlife trafficking in Uganda","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F3c491746-e3ab-4760-9904-159b4154f07b?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[91],7362,[54,93,94],"Prevention"," Research and Innovation",[57,96],"Reports",[98,100],{"tags_id":99},{"id":62,"name":63},{"tags_id":101},{"id":102,"name":103},1299,"Development assistance",1909,[54,106],"Prevention Research and Innovation",[57,96],[109],1200,[],[24],[],"2022-05-26T22:53:40.000Z","2026-05-07T21:29:43.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fpolicy-recommendations-combating-wildlife-trafficking-in-uganda-1909",{"id":118,"body":119,"status":6,"type":120,"date":121,"slug":122,"title":123,"image":124,"countries":125,"topic":130,"activity":131,"tags":135,"nid":140,"topics":141,"activities":142,"authors":143,"images":144,"websites":145,"area":22,"programme":22,"language":22,"translations":146,"translation_of":22,"user_created":77,"date_created":147,"user_updated":148,"date_updated":149,"content":150,"link":151},10447,"The illegal wildlife trade is operating at an industrial scale. It has a direct impact on the accelerating rate of biodiversity loss and deprives local communities of sustainable livelihoods.\n\nA grant from the UK’s [IWT Challenge Fund](https:\u002F\u002Fiwt.challengefund.org.uk\u002Fproject\u002FXXIWT128) has enabled the Basel Institute’s Green Corruption team to extend its work in a number of countries vulnerable to the illegal wildlife trade. By providing training, mentoring on live cases and fostering communities of practice, we are advancing the use of “follow-the-money” techniques to combat the criminal networks operating in this field.\n\n### An underused approach\n\nThe [follow-the-money approach](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fquick-guide-15-following-money) involves scrutinising transactions to extract evidence about crimes and criminal networks. It is widely recognised for its value in investigating and prosecuting profit-driven crime as well as confiscating the proceeds and instrumentalities of crime. However it is still underused, particularly in relation to environmental crime.\n\nLike other transnational crime networks, environmental crime syndicates exploit legal, transport and financial systems to facilitate crimes and evade detection, moving money and goods in [complex networks](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fresearch-case-4) around the world. But the use of these systems is also the criminals’ Achilles heel – the size and sophistication of their networks create a significant footprint and enable investigators with the right skills to trace their financial flows. \n\nOur programme aims to capitalise on this opportunity by strengthening capacity in follow-the money-techniques, encouraging cross-border collaboration and providing opportunities for peer learning.\n\n### Training investigators to trace funds\n\nBuilding capacity for these techniques in the environmental field is the foundation of this initiative. This is achieved through a combination of intensive training in financial investigations and asset recovery, and in-person mentoring by locally based advisors. This face-to-face, tailored support can help officers to translate new knowledge into practice, especially when resources are limited.\n\nWe now have local teams working with government agencies in countries directly impacted by the illegal trade in wildlife and related environmental crimes:\n\n*   In Madagascar, where several species of fauna and flora are under extreme threat from the illegal wildlife trade and illegal logging. The [seizure of tens of thousands of radiated tortoises](https:\u002F\u002Fnews.mongabay.com\u002F2018\u002F10\u002Fthousands-of-radiated-tortoises-seized-from-traffickers-in-madagascar\u002F) from traffickers in 2018 is just one example of the massive and organised scale of these operations.\n*   In Peru and Bolivia, where the jaguar population is classified on the [International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.iucnredlist.org\u002Fes\u002Fsearch\u002Fgrid?taxonomies=117957&searchType=species) as “near threatened” partly as a result of the illegal trade in this coveted species.\n*   In Uganda, which is a transit hub for wildlife products, including ivory and pangolin scales, and a centre of complex financial flows in Africa and beyond.\n*   And in Indonesia, where illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing threatens marine ecosystems and affects livelihoods.\n\n### Strengthening the network\n\nA second pillar of the IWT Challenge Fund project is to create a community of experts and advisors on follow-the-money approaches in the environmental sphere. Through virtual roundtables with other IWT Challenge Fund grantees and civil society organisations from around the world, we are collectively working to increase the use of financial investigations and asset recovery in the fight against illegal wildlife trade.\n\nAs well as the benefits of peer learning and support, building this community will help to generate “surge” capacity to investigate and take down major environmental crime syndicates.\n\n### Knowledge sharing\n\nThese efforts align with the establishment of a dedicated [Follow-the-Money Working Group](https:\u002F\u002Fenvironmental-corruption.org\u002Fworking-groups\u002Ffollow-the-money) in 2022 as part of the Countering Environmental Corruption Practitioners Forum – an initiative of the Basel Institute, WWF, Transparency International and TRAFFIC. Led by our Green Corruption team, the Working Group has already been instrumental in facilitating knowledge exchange through workshops on various follow-the-money topics, including closed case reviews, recent trends and proactive financial analysis.\n\nAn additional sub-group made up exclusively of law enforcement professionals allows peer learning among prosecutors and investigators who are receiving mentoring in our priority countries. These meet virtually to share their experiences and challenges.\n\n### Increasing risk for criminals, and reach for practitioners\n\nAs long as environmental crime remains a high-profit and low-risk activity, we will never succeed in combating it. Nor will we succeed without networks of skilled practitioners that reach as far as those of the crime syndicates.\n\nThe twin pillars of this [IWT Challenge Fund](https:\u002F\u002Fiwt.challengefund.org.uk\u002F) project – building both technical capacity for financial investigations and a broad follow-the-money practitioner network – are therefore crucial steps in strengthening global efforts to protect our wildlife and biodiversity.","News","2024-05-24","building-follow-the-money-skills-and-networks-to-target-environmental-crime-syndicates-2631","Building follow-the-money skills and networks to target environmental crime syndicates","\u002Fpics\u002Fimg-placeholder.png",[126,127,128,129],7121,7122,7123,7124,[54],[132,133,134],"Training","Anti-corruption interventions","Partnerships",[136],{"tags_id":137},{"id":138,"name":139},1193,"Financial investigations",2631,[54],[132,133,134],[],[],[24],[],"2024-05-28T16:01:33.000Z","b0662e2a-864d-4888-a1b7-4342b7570b30","2025-08-31T23:14:40.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fbuilding-follow-the-money-skills-and-networks-to-target-environmental-crime-syndicates-2631",{"id":153,"body":154,"status":6,"type":46,"date":155,"slug":156,"title":157,"image":158,"countries":159,"topic":160,"activity":161,"tags":162,"nid":173,"topics":174,"activities":175,"authors":176,"images":178,"websites":179,"area":22,"programme":22,"language":22,"translations":180,"translation_of":22,"user_created":77,"date_created":181,"user_updated":79,"date_updated":182,"content":183,"link":184},9753,"The enormity of the situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic invites – or rather forces – us to reflect on the nature and effectiveness of our systems of governance. And not just of health systems, but more broadly the governance of our very complex societies and their transnational flows.\n\nI start with some definitions, as the term governance is itself broad and contested.\n\n### You say governance, I say…what?\n\nGovernance, as many development practitioners understand and apply the concept, is frequently used to refer to certain positive attributes that organisations and institutions (often public institutions) should incorporate. These attributes include abstract concepts such as:\n\n*   Transparency\n*   Accountability\n*   Control of corruption\n*   Efficiency\n*   Inclusiveness\n*   Rule of law\n\nThis manner of understanding governance, often also referred to as “good governance”, has strong normative connotations. It has been the subject of criticism by many who argue that development cooperation seeks to transport Western models of state institutions to contexts where they do not fit the local realities and customs. (To get an idea of this discussion see for example [Good Governance, R.I.P](https:\u002F\u002Fonlinelibrary.wiley.com\u002Fdoi\u002Fabs\u002F10.1111\u002Fgove.12223) by Merilee S. Grindle, [Good Governance and Aid in Africa](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.jstor.org\u002Fstable\u002F745739?seq=1) by Patrick McAuslan and [How Good Governance Got a Bad Name](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cipe.org\u002Fresources\u002Fgood-governance-got-bad-name-governance-still-matters\u002F) by Kim Eric Bettcher.)\n\nThis is not the use of the term governance that I want to discuss. Rather, I want to bring our attention to the notion of governance as a more general analytical concept that refers to the rules (formal and informal) distributing roles, defining practices, setting boundaries, and shaping behaviours with the goal of attaining a collective outcome.\n\nThis definition suggests that effective governance is about setting rules and incentives such as enforceable orders, directives or recommendations. Through these, the behaviours of a substantial number of individuals in the group of interest are steered in a direction that is conducive to achieving collective goals.\n\n### Governance models are being put to the test\n\nIn our current situation with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the central governance issue involves getting people to divert from their normal routines in the name of public health goals. In some cases, they are even asked to forego engaging in the activities that provide daily sustenance. A tall order to say the least.\n\nThis highlights the importance of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the different models of governance which are being put to the test by leaders as they are confronted with extremely difficult choices to contain the spread of the coronavirus. On the one hand, there is the model of governance adopted by the Chinese government to deal with the outbreak. At the moment it appears to have succeeded at stopping the contagion, but it is clearly problematic from a human rights perspective. On the other hand, democratic governments in Europe and elsewhere are confronted with the enormous challenge of trying to control an emergency situation with all means possible while respecting democratic rights and freedoms.\n\n### What factors underpin the current challenges?\n\nThe underlying sources of the difficulties in braking the spread of the virus are varied, intertwined and complex. But if we are to learn out of this experience how to make governance more effective, we can and should take a step back to discern the different factors that are at play in hindering the containment of the pandemic.\n\nFor instance, it is a well-known fact that macro-level collective action problems quickly surface when promoting a public good. The proverbial free rider problem arises because individuals estimate they can still pursue their particular interests (go out, meet my friends) and enjoy the public good (contained virus spread) if everyone else is abiding by the collective rules (staying home, avoiding social contact).\n\nHowever, we know that individuals can also display generosity towards others and join together to punish those who violate rules that promote the well-being of the wider group. This clearly indicates that social norms are also a factor that needs to be considered as we think about developing better governance approaches to confront crisis situations.\n\n### Harnessing social norms and behavioural insights to promote the public good\n\nSocieties where close social, physical contact (hugs and kisses to greet each other) are the norm will naturally require a greater conscious effort to enforce social distancing than other countries where social interactions involve less physical contact and where individualism is more prevalent. However, tight social links also are associated to high levels of social capital and trust, which are key in overcoming collective action problems.\n\n[Ongoing work](https:\u002F\u002Fsites.tufts.edu\u002Fihs\u002Fa-good-contagion-social-norms-makes-its-move-in-anti-corruption-thinking\u002F?src=Muspratt) on social norms and governance should delve deeper into these topics and suggest ways in which deeply rooted social practices can be harnessed in the pursuit of the public good. We should also think about the manner in which behavioural insights may reinforce behaviour changes desperately needed to address the crisis. Visibly salient environmental cues could help people remember the steps (simple as they may be) that they need to take to prevent contagion. Many wonderful examples of how simple changes in the landscape can promote better accountability and citizen empowerment have been collected by Dieter Zinnbauer in his [ambient-accountability](https:\u002F\u002Fambient-accountability.org\u002F) site and can provide inspiration on reshaping our environments to promote public health goals.\n\n### Moving governance beyond the state and towards empowering the people\n\nThe crisis, as tragic as it is, also opens immense opportunities. I believe that energies should be invested in governance programmes moving beyond the sphere of public institutions. I am talking about decisive and sustained public education and awareness-raising campaigns to ingrain the recognition that the existential threats we face are of a global nature. They require global, collective responses.\n\nWhether a pandemic or the effects of global warming, the crises that are surely to come will continue to underscore our interdependence and interconnectedness. The current crisis has made it clear how vulnerable we are to what happens on the other side of the planet. Thus, we should start planning to help people be prepared to react and change behaviours in pursuit of the global common good – that common good to which all our individual fates are tied.\n\nEducation will inevitably be a big part of that, highlighting the fact that contributing towards the welfare of others is ultimately a contribution towards our own individual well-being.  This includes raising awareness about the right to hold accountable those who govern and speak in our names.\n\n### COVID-19 reveals the weakness of populism and isolationism…\n\nThe coronavirus is egalitarian and does not give in to false claims. It attacks everyone regardless of economic class, political affiliation and race. It exposes demagoguery. The current crisis is therefore clearly demonstrating the weaknesses of those who try to solve global problems by reverting to isolationist strategies.\n\nIt is the right time to emphasise the need to demand decisions from our leaders that are based on science and evidence and not on ideological or populist claims.\n\n### …and teaches us the value of public goods\n\nLast, but certainly not least, it is indispensable to raise awareness about the value of public goods. I have spent 10 years conducting research on the drivers of corruption, interrogating why corruption seems to be so resilient, and collecting data on popular beliefs and attitudes towards corruption from many different sociocultural contexts. Based on this experience, I am convinced that corruption partly results from a lack of appreciation for the common good.\n\nThere is considerable evidence that in those countries most affected by corruption, there is a notable disregard for the value of the public sphere. “The public space is not important because it belongs to nobody” is a belief I have seen expressed by individuals in Africa, Latin America and Asia alike. For the same reason, people justify stealing public funds because in the end they are not perceived to belong to anyone in particular.\n\nToday, as we are caught in the midst of this pandemic, we have a golden opportunity to vigorously push for a global agenda that raises consciousness about protecting public goods.\n\nThe coronavirus pandemic is here and its effects on our lives are still unimaginable. It has opened our eyes to the limitations we have to generate effective governance in the face of a public health crisis.\n\nWe should clearly invest significant efforts to research and test approaches to protect public health, and that should be of course a high priority. But we should also do much more to prepare for the global, collective challenges that await us in the future.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   Explore the [anti-corruption research and insights](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance) of Claudia Baez Camargo and her team at the Basel Institute.\n*   Learn more about [informal governance](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance\u002Fresearch-projects\u002Finformal-governance).\n\n_Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash._","2020-04-01","rethinking-governance-in-the-times-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-1556","Rethinking governance in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F09e06d74-8544-4487-b7eb-b8f44693d153?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[93,94],[58],[163,165,169],{"tags_id":164},{"id":66,"name":67},{"tags_id":166},{"id":167,"name":168},1381,"Health",{"tags_id":170},{"id":171,"name":172},1309,"Informality",1556,[106],[58],[177],1239,[],[24],[],"2022-05-26T22:55:12.000Z","2026-05-07T21:29:44.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Frethinking-governance-in-the-times-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-1556",{"id":186,"body":187,"status":6,"type":120,"date":188,"slug":189,"title":190,"image":191,"countries":192,"topic":193,"activity":195,"tags":196,"nid":197,"topics":198,"activities":200,"authors":201,"images":202,"websites":203,"area":22,"programme":22,"language":22,"translations":204,"translation_of":22,"user_created":77,"date_created":205,"user_updated":79,"date_updated":206,"content":207,"link":208},9899,"Basel Institute President Mark Pieth was interviewed by cash.ch journalist Daniel Hügli at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos. See the [original interview here](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cash.ch\u002Fnews\u002Ftop-news\u002Fmark-pieth-bei-rohstoffanlagen-muss-man-ganz-genau-hinschauen-1268816).\n\nBelow is the (unofficial) English translation of his comments on commodity trading, gold supply chains and clean investments. \n\n\"You have to pay real close attention to commodity investments”\n---------------------------------------------------------------\n\n_Are investments in commodities immoral? Where does our gold come from? And why is commodity trading growing so strongly in Switzerland?_ \n\nCriminal Law Professor and corruption fighter Mark Pieth answers these questions and more in an interview with cash.ch at the World Economic Forum. \n\ncash: Mr. Pieth, don't you sometimes feel out of place at the WEF as a professor of criminal law and an anti-corruption activist? \n\nMark Pieth: When I first started coming here, more than 10 years ago, I felt like a clown. We, that is PACI (editor's note: Pieth is co-founder of the 'Partnering Against Corruption Initiative' of the WEF), have long been uncertain whether our activities are really relevant for the business world. Over time, however, we got the feeling that we had influence. This has to do with the fact that the penalties are now enormously high if you do something stupid, especially in the USA. But also with the fact that I have become an expert in arbitration cases. This is partly about insanely high sums.\n\ncash: According to the list of WEF participants, the top managers of all the major commodity companies in Switzerland are in Davos. But they're staying in the background. What are these people doing here?\n\nPieth: That’s easy to explain. Every boss of these commodity companies sits here in a hotel and has a different conversation every quarter of an hour. I used to do this myself at the oil companies. I just rattled them off. In the arms industry there was once a difficult case, namely British Aerospace with its case of corruption in Saudi Arabia. We made peace, so to speak, during this conversation. The deal was: I would become less 'sharp', and British Aerospace had to make sure that the UK got a new law. So on the one hand you catch these people in Davos in a more relaxed environment. On the other hand, people are clearly here to do business.\n\ncash: Glencore, Trafigura, Vitol and so on: Switzerland's six largest companies in terms of turnover are commodity companies, followed by Nestlé in seventh place. Why is this sector growing so strongly? \n\nPieth: This development was to be expected. Switzerland used to be a manufacturing centre as well as strong in the financial services sector. The machinery industry, for example, is now moving away. Switzerland is increasingly being pushed into specialist areas. Commodity trading is one of them.\n\ncash: What is the role of Switzerland’s well-known advantages as a business location? \n\nPieth: Not so long ago, some company executives told me they were in Switzerland just because of taxes. And the well-known commodities trader Marc Rich said bluntly: If you put me under the Money Laundering Act, I'm going. I know that because at the time I was sitting in a commission of the Department of Finance. But the companies have realised today that they have to do something. Recently, this has included going through a process of opening up – to some extent.\n\ncash: In its reports on raw materials and gold, the Federal Council focuses on self-regulation by the industry instead of new laws. Parliament also wants it that way. Does self-regulation work?\n\nPieth: I have concerns about that. I say this with my 25 years of experience in the fight against corruption and in the field of money laundering. Self-regulation is okay, but we must set clear guidelines, as the European Union has done for example \\[with the [Conflict Minerals Regulation](http:\u002F\u002Ftrade.ec.europa.eu\u002Fdoclib\u002Fdocs\u002F2017\u002Fmarch\u002Ftradoc_155423.pdf)\\]. It has declared the relatively soft OECD requirements \\[the [OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas](http:\u002F\u002Fwww.oecd.org\u002Fcorporate\u002Fmne\u002Fmining.htm)\\] binding.\n\ncash: This EU regulation comes into force in 2021. How do Swiss gold refiners, for example, behave when they have dealings with the EU? Then they have to apply EU rules. \n\nPieth: Switzerland imports about 70 percent of the world's gold production. In the [Gold Report](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.swissinfo.ch\u002Feng\u002Fbusiness\u002Fgold-report_switzerland-s-golden-opportunity-for-responsible-business\u002F44556442), the Swiss legal situation is equated with South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and India. But this is the 'dirty competition'. Switzerland is on a different level, especially with regard to human rights.\n\ncash: The main problem for Swiss gold refiners is the origin of their raw material. Do the companies make enough efforts? \n\nPieth: They’re trying hard – on paper. They don't really know where their gold comes from. They know the supplier, for example an export company from Peru, but not the whole supply chain behind it. I wanted to personally find out the origin of the gold last summer. That's a frightening story. \n\ncash: Tell us. \n\nPieth: A Swiss refinery obtains all its gold from the area around Lake Titicaca in Peru. I drove there and saw a slum with 60,000 miners and 4,000 forced prostitutes near the glacier at an altitude of 5,500 meters. All that gold mining there is illegal. The miners work for 28 days without pay in order to have access to the mine. Then they are allowed to mine gold for themselves for two or three days. That is the way the Incas did it in the old days. That way you can earn $400 or more a month. There are only 20 cops there. The reason there are so few is because they only make $200. The cops become miners as soon as they arrive.\n\ncash: That doesn't sound safe. How did you get access to this place? \n\nPieth: I asked a journalist from Lima to accompany me. She knows about gold and also knows miners personally. We were then passed from priest to priest, until we ended up talking to a well-known engineer of the mine. We went there with the protection of the Catholic Church.\n\ncash: Are investments in commodities immoral? \n\nPieth: I don't think so. There are big differences. The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, which is fed by the country's oil revenues, pays close attention to its investments. But if you invest in the Congo, there is a relatively high risk that the investments will be linked to the civil war.\n\ncash: And from the private investor's point of view?  \n\nPieth: You really have to keep your eyes open. Investments in cocoa sound relatively harmless. But there is a fair amount of child labour in this sector. Coffee looks better. Organised crime in Colombia, for example, is not widespread in the coffee sector. In the case of cereals or rice, there is a risk that you might contribute to fuelling price increases. \n\ncash: Some companies, such as the Zürcher Kantonalbank, offer their customers 'Fair Gold' or 'Clean Gold'. Does it live up to its promise? \n\nPieth: I also visited such places in Peru, where gold is mined and processed under better conditions, during my trip last summer. Even with these certified products, there is no guarantee that mercury or cyanide will not be used during processing. These are highly toxic substances. But child labour is excluded and the workers are at least subject to labour laws.\n\ncash: We live in times characterised by less tolerance towards critics. Have you ever been put under pressure or attacked by more modern means, such as cyber attacks? \n\nPieth: When I was working at the OECD, I was relatively harsh with both countries and companies. I've been threatened with defamation several times. During my work at 'Oil for Food' in New York we changed the ceiling panels of our office every two weeks due to possible bugging and unscrewed the telephones. We also had a secret service come to give advice. Personally, I had to make sure that there was no risk of eavesdropping and that no one came into my office. So in the end, it happened that my office was not cleaned for over a year (laughs).\n\n_Mark Pieth (65) has been Professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Criminology at the University of Basel and an Honorary Doctor of Sussex University in the UK since 1993. He is founder and President of the Basel Institute on Governance and was President of the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions from 1990 to 2013. From 2011 to 2013, Pieth also chaired FIFA's independent governance committee. He resigned from this post in protest._","2019-01-27","mark-pieth-on-commodity-trading-gold-and-investment-interview-with-cashch-563","Mark Pieth on commodity trading, gold and investment – interview with cash.ch","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F856bb88f-1c86-4bd7-b119-54422daa9fe7?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[194],"Asset Recovery",[58,17],[],563,[199],"Asset Recovery and Enforcement",[58,17],[],[],[24],[],"2022-05-26T22:57:17.000Z","2026-05-29T22:22:03.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fmark-pieth-on-commodity-trading-gold-and-investment-interview-with-cashch-563",{"id":210,"body":211,"status":6,"type":120,"date":212,"slug":213,"title":214,"image":215,"countries":216,"topic":218,"activity":220,"tags":221,"nid":222,"topics":223,"activities":224,"authors":225,"images":226,"websites":227,"area":22,"programme":22,"language":22,"translations":228,"translation_of":22,"user_created":77,"date_created":229,"user_updated":230,"date_updated":231,"content":232,"link":233},10405,"We are pleased to see States embracing the business community in corruption prevention activities in Africa. At a recent anti-corruption conference in Rabat, a new declaration emphasised the importance of the \"involvement of all stakeholders, with a shared vision and an action based on collective mobilisation…”. This language underlies the [Collective Action](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002F) approach that we at the Basel Institute have long promoted to increase standards of integrity and fair business around the world.\n\nRueben Lifuka, Vice Chair of Transparency International until November 2023, summed it up at the conference:\n\n> Our fight is collective. Corruption is a thief of our future. We need Collective Action to succeed.\n\nIn the context of rapidly growing direct foreign investment in Africa, Collective Action can help to safeguard investments and ensure the economic attractiveness of African countries. It is now recognised across the world as a powerful tool to raise standards of integrity, enhance conditions for fair competition and help to solve systemic issues related to bribery and corruption.\n\n### International conference opens the way\n\nOur Private Sector team participated in the Rabat conference entitled “Twelve years after the Marrakech Declaration: Africa mobilises to strengthen the role of prevention against corruption” from 24–25 October 2023.\n\nCo-organised by the Moroccan Anti-Corruption Authority (INPPLC) and UNODC, the event brought together African heads of anti-corruption agencies, civil society representatives and business associations. Their aim was to better understand common challenges in preventing corruption and how African countries can set a path for steady and sustainable development.\n\n### The Rabat Declaration\n\nTwo days of discussions led to the adoption of the [Rabat Declaration](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.inpplc.ma\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002FDocuments\u002FDeclaration%20de%20Rabat%20-%20Vf%20-En.pdf) (also in [French](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.inpplc.ma\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002FDocuments\u002FDeclaration%20de%20Rabat%20-%20Version%20finale%20-Fr.pdf)): “Towards reinforcing measures for the prevention of corruption to open up new perspectives on development, equity, and stability”.\n\nThe declaration’s recommendations will be presented at a side event of the upcoming 10th Conference of the States Parties to the UNCAC ([CoSP](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unodc.org\u002Funodc\u002Fen\u002Fcorruption\u002FCOSP\u002Fsession10-special-events\u002F11-december-2023.html)) in Atlanta, U.S. The aim is for the Declaration to be adopted as a United Nations Resolution during the conference.\n\n### Moving towards multi-stakeholder engagement\n\nThe Rabat Declaration is a follow-up to the [Marrakech Declaration](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unodc.org\u002Fdocuments\u002Ftreaties\u002FUNCAC\u002FCOSP\u002Fsession4\u002FV1186630e.pdf), which was adopted in 2011 at the 4th CoSP in Morocco. This declaration is the only resolution that has been a permanent agenda item at CoSP since its adoption, with implementation closely monitored by the Secretariat.\n\nHowever, the Marrakech Declaration did not emphasise the private sector’s role in preventing and fighting corruption, referring to the business community only as “other relevant stakeholders”. Ten years later, the Rabat Declaration provides new impetus and explores “new perspectives for the prevention of corruption in the African context”.\n\nWith this, it puts the private sector at centre stage. Recognising that “corruption affects investors’ confidence and the business environment and therefore weighs negatively on the country’s economic attractiveness” the Rabat Declaration sees the private sector as a “leading actor in the efforts of prevention and fight against corruption”.\n\nThere is also a strong emphasis on the role of civil society, with particular reference to the importance of representing youth and women in the decision-making and consultation process. This focus on the private sector and civil society is a welcome advance to ensure responsible and sustainable economic development.\n\n### Leading by example\n\nWe were pleased to see the multi-stakeholder approach to anti-corruption being picked up by the Moroccan Government during the conference, through the INPPLC. Morocco has been increasingly involving the private sector in its anti-corruption efforts, as we discuss in our [Practical Guide](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fexplore\u002Fpublications\u002F2280) for anti-corruption agencies in Africa. This is a decisive step in the right direction.\n\nThe Private Sector team is also engaging with INPPLC in the field of Collective Action through a joint initiative with the OECD.\n\nOther conference participants similarly emphasised the importance of the private sector in the fight against corruption, saying for example:\n\n> Africa will receive massive infrastructure investments over the next years. Safeguarding these funds is crucial for the development of the continent. National and international investors need guarantees.\n\n> Respect of international standards, legal predictability and corruption are amongst the top considerations for international investors.\n\n> Corruption is one of the biggest impediments for the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa.\n\n> The private sector holds a crucial role in the economic development of Africa. The continent needs investments to support development efforts.","2023-11-21","rabat-declaration-highlights-private-sector-engagement-in-preventing-corruption-2539","Rabat Declaration highlights private-sector engagement in preventing corruption","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fa7e0c4f3-8ea0-4735-a3c2-76c911fd893c?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[217],7148,[219],"Collective Action",[10],[],2539,[219],[],[],[],[24,219],[],"2023-11-21T17:01:29.000Z","dfef11db-1bc6-47e9-a61d-93443995484b","2026-05-08T21:11:09.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Frabat-declaration-highlights-private-sector-engagement-in-preventing-corruption-2539",{"id":235,"body":236,"status":6,"type":120,"date":237,"slug":238,"title":239,"image":240,"countries":241,"topic":242,"activity":244,"tags":245,"nid":246,"topics":247,"activities":248,"authors":249,"images":250,"websites":251,"area":22,"programme":22,"language":22,"translations":252,"translation_of":22,"user_created":77,"date_created":253,"user_updated":148,"date_updated":149,"content":254,"link":255},10451,"Congratulations to the winners of the [2024 Anti-Corruption Collective Action Awards](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fget-involved\u002Fawards), presented by the Basel Institute on Governance with the support of the Siemens Integrity Initiative.\n\nThe awards were presented on 25 June 2024, at the end of the first day of the [International Collective Action Conference 2024](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fget-involved\u002Fevents\u002Ficac-2024) in Basel, Switzerland. You can watch part of the ceremony [here](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=I13AJz1v15o&list=PLYRnhpCcnLP9vG5x9LK9p9Z-4SniNYhF_&index=10).\n\n### Gretta Fenner Outstanding Achievement Award\n\nIn the category of Outstanding Achievement in Collective Action 2024, the award goes to the Agribusiness Anti-Corruption Collective Action in Brazil, which aims to enhance integrity within Brazil’s agribusuiness sector and its supply chain.\n\nOrganisations and initiatives awarded in this category have made significant contributions towards fairer market conditions and the prevention of corruption through their engagement in Collective Action.\n\nThe award has been renamed the Gretta Fenner Outstanding Achievement in Collective Action Award in memory of the Basel Institute’s late Managing Director. Gemma Aiolfi, who led the Basel Institute's Compliance and Collective Action efforts for many years, gave a [moving speech in memory of Gretta](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fgemma-aiolfi-tribute-gretta-fenner-5th-international-collective-action-conference), who did so much to promote anti-corruption Collective Action and other multi-stakeholder coalitions over her nearly 20-year leadership of the Basel Institute.\n\n### Inspiring Newcomer Award\n\nIn the category of Inspirational Newcomer, the award goes to the Transparency 100% Movement of the UN Global Compact Network Brazil. The initiative encourages companies in Brazil to go beyond legal requirements and commit to five ambitious transparency goals for 2023.\n\nOrganisations and initiatives awarded in this category have been active in the field of Collective Action for less than two years.\n\n### Finalists from Canada to Colombia and Cameroon to Azerbaijan\n\nWe wholeheartedly congratulate the winners and all our shortlisted initiatives, who continue to be shining examples for great Collective Action work in the anti-corruption field.\n\nIn the category of Outstanding Achievement, the finalists were:\n\n*   End Snow-Washing Coalition, which aims to address money laundering in Canada by advocating for a public beneficial ownership registry.\n*   Water Sector Action for Governance and Business Efficiency, which aims to enhance governance, business efficiency, transparency and service quality in the water and sanitation sector in Colombia.\n\nIn the category of Inspirational Newcomer, the finalists were:\n\n*   Global Integrity Partnership, which seeks to strengthen fairer competition in business in Cameroon with a focus on SMEs.\n*   Strengthening Civic Vigilance: Empowering Citizen Engagement in Detecting and Reporting Corruption, which aims to support and raise awareness on whistleblower protection in Azerbaijan.\n\n### Jury selection and public vote\n\nAn expert jury reviewed all nominated initiatives and shortlisted the finalists before opening up to a public vote. The jury consisted of a senior member of the Basel Institute (Vanessa Hans, Head of Private Sector) and three leading figures in the anti-corruption Collective Action community:\n\n*   Gilbert Sendugwa, Senior Regional Manager for Africa at the CoST – Infrastructure Transparency Initiative\n*   Cecilia Müller Torbrand, CEO of the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network\n*   Phrommet Bencharongkit of the Thai Private Sector Collective Action Against Corruption (Thai CAC).\n\nAll three represent previous winners of the international or regional Collective Action awards presented in 2022 or 2023. Gilbert and Phrommet presented the awards in the respective categories.\n\n### Learn more and see previous awards\n\n*   For those interested in the selection process, the public vote and the general awards methodology, as well as previous award winners, please find our [awards methodology here](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fget-involved\u002Fawards).\n*   Read the [speech by Gemma Aiolfi](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fgemma-aiolfi-tribute-gretta-fenner-5th-international-collective-action-conference) in memory of Gretta Fenner.","2024-06-24","announcing-the-winners-of-2024-anti-corruption-collective-action-awards-2645","Announcing the winners of 2024 Anti-Corruption Collective Action Awards","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F9fdb7897-d7f8-4c0e-a8f8-2682d7167704?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[219,243],"Private Sector",[134],[],2645,[219,243],[134],[],[],[24,219],[],"2024-06-24T22:01:32.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fannouncing-the-winners-of-2024-anti-corruption-collective-action-awards-2645",{"id":257,"body":258,"status":6,"type":120,"date":259,"slug":260,"title":261,"image":262,"countries":263,"topic":264,"activity":265,"tags":266,"nid":271,"topics":272,"activities":274,"authors":275,"images":276,"websites":277,"area":22,"programme":22,"language":22,"translations":278,"translation_of":22,"user_created":77,"date_created":279,"user_updated":79,"date_updated":280,"content":281,"link":282},9743,"The UK government's British Integrity Initiative has announced that from now until the end of July, the Department for International Development will cover the full cost of the Basel Institute’s integrity guidance services for eligible small- and medium-sized businesses.\n\nCompanies currently benefiting from the programme, which until now has been subsidised by 60–80 percent depending on the company’s size, will also see their fees waived.\n\nAs our partners in the British Integrity Initiative recognise, many businesses are experiencing interruptions in their operations and cash flow difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic and response. At the same time, managing business integrity risks has become even more vital as companies deal with increased integrity risks and challenges as a result of working with new supply chains, procurement processes and unfamiliar markets. Both of these factors are particularly acute for small businesses.\n\nAgile, entrepreneurial SMEs can play a big role in the post-Covid-19 response. And as Gemma Aiolfi pointed out in a recent analysis of [business integrity and Covid-19](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fhere-today-and-gone-tomorrow-integrity-and-anti-corruption-private-sector-post-covid-19), strong anti-corruption compliance programmes and Collective Action will put these companies in a better place to contribute to the global economic recovery. It may sound counter-intuitive in the current economic climate, but this is an excellent time for small businesses to be strengthening their anti-corruption measures and credentials.\n\nThe Basel Institute’s services cover:\n\n*   Anti-corruption compliance\n*   Corruption and bribery prevention\n*   Anti-corruption Collective Action\n\nThe British Integrity Initiative leadership will review the funding situation again towards the end of July.\n\n### Details and case studies\n\nFind out more on our [SME guidance services page](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fcompliance\u002Fsme-guidance-services) or get a better idea of how we can help by reading these case studies:\n\n*   [Compliance guidance to Kuunda 3D](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2020-04\u002Fcase_study_kuunda_3d.pdf), a 3D printing micro enterprise moving its headquarters from East Africa to the UK.\n*   [Corruption prevention guidance to Water Fuel Engineering](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2020-04\u002FCase%20study_WaterFuelEngineering.pdf), a UK micro engineering company entering the Indian market.\n\nFees are also waived for human rights consultancy services to assist SMEs to comply with the UK Modern Slavery Act, provided by the [Ethical Trading Initiative](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ethicaltrade.org\u002F).","2020-04-27","free-integrity-guidance-services-for-smes-until-end-july-under-uk-business-integrity-initiative-1736","Free integrity guidance services for SMEs until end July under UK Business Integrity Initiative","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fedc7a651-cd34-4dfb-9466-c3f04947856f?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[219,243],[132],[267],{"tags_id":268},{"id":269,"name":270},830,"Business integrity",1736,[219,243,273],"Business Integrity Ethics and Compliance",[132],[],[],[24,219],[],"2022-05-26T22:55:04.000Z","2026-05-29T22:21:53.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Ffree-integrity-guidance-services-for-smes-until-end-july-under-uk-business-integrity-initiative-1736",{"id":284,"body":285,"status":6,"type":46,"date":286,"slug":287,"title":288,"image":289,"countries":290,"topic":292,"activity":293,"tags":294,"nid":295,"topics":296,"activities":297,"authors":298,"images":300,"websites":301,"area":22,"programme":22,"language":22,"translations":302,"translation_of":22,"user_created":77,"date_created":303,"user_updated":148,"date_updated":8,"content":304,"link":305},9933,"At the [Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) conference](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Ftopical-events\u002Flondon-conference-on-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-2018) on 11 and 12 October 2018, global leaders and senior officials will gather in London to talk about the rampant trafficking of ivory, rhino horn and other wildlife products. Will all the talking translate into action this time? Because the organised crime groups that profit from the [multi-billion-dollar market in illegal wildlife products](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.weforum.org\u002Fagenda\u002F2016\u002F09\u002Ffighting-illegal-wildlife-and-forest-trade\u002F) don’t care about toothless commitments and pledges.\n\nThe magnificent wildlife that supports Kenya’s booming tourism industry is more valuable to criminals dead, hacked to pieces and packed into shipping containers heading to Asia than alive and roaming free across the savannah. The same is true throughout Africa for endangered rhinos, elephants, pangolins, big cats, turtles, fish, snakes and so much more.\n\nThe brains behind the trafficking of illegal wildlife products don’t need to be too clever. It is simple supply and demand, and it can be extremely lucrative. Plus, even Kenya’s comparatively strict wildlife laws are not a great deterrent in practice. You can get [life imprisonment for smuggling cannabis](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.standardmedia.co.ke\u002Farticle\u002F2001280650\u002Fman-sentenced-to-life-imprisonment-for-trafficking-bhang-worth-sh23-250) but get off with a fine for possession of a game trophy.\n\nOn the supply side, there have been [productive efforts in Kenya to combat poaching](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.the-star.co.ke\u002Fnews\u002F2017\u002F11\u002F30\u002Felephant-poaching-declines-in-kenya-focus-turns-to-world-markets_c1677846). On the demand side, large amounts of wildlife commodities have been seized in or en route to Asia and the Middle East. How many of these seizures have led to convictions in Kenya? Zero. That is shameful, because porous land borders and impunity at ports have made Kenya the route of choice for illegal wildlife products from as far away as South Africa.\n\nMany obvious things we can do to stop wildlife trafficking are not being done efficiently or systematically due to a lack of resources and capacity on the ground. [Financial investigation](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.newsweek.com\u002Ffollowing-money-how-financial-investigation-can-combat-poaching-kenya-476506), for example. Traffickers need to make payments to rent properties and shipping containers or book berths on vessels. Businesses can provide cover for moving large amounts of money and commodities without attracting attention. These leads can and should be pursued through smarter collaboration between banks and law enforcement.\n\n[Technology](https:\u002F\u002Fedition.cnn.com\u002F2012\u002F08\u002F30\u002Ftech\u002Fsocial-media\u002Ffighting-crime-social-media\u002Findex.html) is another area that investigators and prosecutors need to embrace and understand. Criminals don’t meet in darkened rooms these days – they use their phones to strike deals, agree sums and organise logistics. Not to mention those who give themselves away on social media by posting selfies and flaunting their wealth.\n\nThirdly, international collaboration desperately needs reinforcing. How many more traffickers would get locked up with better collaboration between law enforcement agencies in the countries of poaching, transit and destination?\n\nThose of us who care about the destruction of Africa’s wildlife – and the livelihoods that depend legally on it – are hoping that London’s IWT conference will not simply be another opportunity for tea and a chat. We want to see more resources channelled into joined-up activities that really make a difference on the ground. That means practical, expert mentoring to build capacity and streamline a disjointed intelligence system. It means supporting local law enforcement agencies with whatever they need to more effectively investigate and prosecute wildlife crime. And ultimately, to prevent the devastation of our continent’s endangered flora and fauna for personal gain.","2018-10-10","to-eradicate-wildlife-crime-in-kenya-we-must-fight-it-on-the-ground-74","To eradicate wildlife crime in Kenya, we must fight it on the ground","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fadd4d199-cbd7-4ca2-825f-8ee0a18e4919?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[291],7518,[54],[58],[],74,[54],[58],[299],1280,[],[24],[],"2022-05-26T22:57:36.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fto-eradicate-wildlife-crime-in-kenya-we-must-fight-it-on-the-ground-74",{"left":307,"top":307,"width":308,"height":308,"rotate":307,"vFlip":309,"hFlip":309,"body":310},0,20,false,"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M17 10a.75.75 0 0 1-.75.75H5.612l4.158 3.96a.75.75 0 1 1-1.04 1.08l-5.5-5.25a.75.75 0 0 1 0-1.08l5.5-5.25a.75.75 0 1 1 1.04 1.08L5.612 9.25H16.25A.75.75 0 0 1 17 10\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\u002F>",1780676431541]