An entrepreneur and vocal supporter of anti-corruption Collective Action, Norwegian-born Vibeke Lyssand Leirvag has two interesting perspectives: as a small business owner in Thailand and as Chairwoman of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce.

In this short interview on the sidelines of the Basel Institute’s International Collective Action Conference, Vibeke explained how engaging in a Collective Action initiative can help make the voice of business – whether an SME or a Chamber of Commerce – heard in matters of business integrity and fair competition.

Multinational companies are no strangers to problems of corruption in their supply chains, which can bring significant legal, financial and reputational risks. Especially when entering new markets, many companies find it difficult to identify credible local partners and to assess their adherence to anti-corruption regulations.

The Thai National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has renewed a long-standing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Basel Institute on Governance to jointly foster the prevention of and international collaboration in the fight against corruption.

In an effort to increase understanding and interest in Collective Action as a tool to prevent and combat corruption through business and business-public partnerships, the ICCA trained representatives from the private and public sectors from Thailand, including Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission, on available Collective Action tools and methodologies, in the course of an information session held at the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) in Vienna.

The Basel Institute on Governance and the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) are co-organising and participating in several  different workshops at this year’s 14th International Anti-Corruption Conference in Bangkok, Thailand in November.

Our contribution to the 14th IACC is manifold: we are co-organizing workshops on asset recovery and on repairing social damages our of corruption cases, we are also contributing to workshops on legal remedies for victims of corruption and on governance in the Health Sector. Here is a brief description of these activities:

On 6 June 2011, the Commissioner, Professor Padee Pothisiri of the National Anti-Corruption Commission of Thailand, together with a delegation, visited the Basel Institute on Governance to sign an official Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute.

Gemma Aiolfi, Head of Compliance and Corporate Governance / Collective Action, discussed anti-corruption Collective Action and High Level Reporting Mechanisms in Vol. 36, Issue 5 of the Thai Institute of Directors' (IOD) Boardroom Magazine.