Much has been said and written about the business case for countering corruption. That is to say, about the long-term benefits of a clean business environment, not only for the economic development of countries but also for individual companies who profit from transparent and reliable business practices.

While this is undoubtedly true, it’s also true that withstanding corruption can be a challenge for companies.

The private sector’s role in combating and preventing corruption continues to be essential and is widely recognized by government, civil society and companies themselves, with the spread of corporate anti-corruption compliance programs in recent years presenting a clear response to the acknowledged responsibility of the private sector. Whilst this is a positive development it is not enough to tackle corruption in particularly challenging markets and sectors.

Global Compact Network India (GCNI) established the Centre of Excellence for Governance, Ethics and Transparency (CEGET) in March 2015, with the overall goal of developing a premier knowledge repository that ‘conducts innovative action research and training, provides a platform for dialogue and communication and facilitates systematic policy initiatives for strengthening transparency and ethics in business.’

CEGET has spearheaded two key initiatives - ‘Governance for Smart Cities’ and ‘Business inputs for Public Procurement Bill 2012.’

The Basel Institute’s head of compliance, corporate governance and collective action talks to Ruth Green of the International Bar Association about anti-corruption programmes, the Panama Papers leaks, and what companies can do to better manage and mitigate risks. This article is posted with the permission of the International Bar Association and can be found in its entirety here.

The Basel Institute on Governance and its International Centre for Collective Action recently concluded its second international Anti-Corruption Collective Action Conference. The event, which took place on October 20-21 2016 in Basel, brought together nearly 200 participants from business, government, civil society, international organisations, academia and beyond, with participants hailing from every continent.