Business entities wishing to implement projects funded by Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs, also referred to as International Financial Institutions) will be interested to know that six major MDBs have agreed and published new General Principles for Business Integrity Programmes. Such programmes play an important part in the MDBs’ efforts to fight fraud and corruption in the projects they finance or otherwise support.

This virtual side event at the 2021 Special Session of the General Assembly against Corruption (UNGASS) explored the scope and possibilities of anti-corruption Collective Action, which the UNGASS Political Declaration 2021 recommends and encourages.

What does Collective Action mean for governments, companies and citizens? Does it work in practice? Is it an efficient way for the public and private sectors to partner? What benefits can it bring? 

The rapid expansion of anti-corruption Collective Action is offering businesses, governments and civil society groups powerful ways to enhance business integrity and create fair business conditions. What does Collective Action look like in practice? What benefits does it bring, what is success, and how do you measure it? And what should we expect from each other in these multi-stakeholder initiatives?

The European Commission has issued a strong endorsement of anti-corruption Collective Action as a “best practice” in the fight against corruption.

Its Handbook of good practices in the fight against corruption explains how Collective Action can bring together “stakeholders in the private and public sectors, civil society, and international organisations to tackle shared problems of corruption and raise integrity standards."

On 21 February 2023, the Basel Institute on Governance together with the National Business Initiative (NBI), the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and Covington organised a Thought Leadership Dialogue on "Partnering Against Money Laundering and Corruption in South Africa and the Subregion" in Johannesburg.

This event allowed for thought-provoking discussions on how to strengthen the fight against illicit financial flows in the region.