projects_private_sector/private sector/global priorities

Projects & activities

UK ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards
FTSE 4Good criteria for Countering Bribery
Business Principles tools in development
Business Principles for Countering Bribery Workshops
UN Global Compact Summit: Shanghai, China, 30 Nov - 1 Dec 2005

Global Reporting Initiative: Reader' Choice Awards

Have your say on sustainability reporting:
take part in the GRI Readers’ Choice Awards

TI national chapters have the chance to contribute to greater transparency in corporate reporting by evaluating sustainability reports for the Global Reporting Initiative’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Participants can also win one of eight all expenses paid trips to the GRI conference in Amsterdam in May 2008 where the awards will be presented. For further information, please go to http://awards.globalreporting.org

Sustainability reporting by companies and organisations is of growing importance for the TI movement. It allows TI to better understand corporate approaches to issues of sustainability, such as countering corruption, and how they are being reported.

The GRI Readers’ Choice Awards and Survey is now open for participation, giving sustainability report users around the world a voice on the current state of reporting. Sustainability report readers will have the opportunity to score a minimum of two sustainability reports from 2006 and contribute to the selection of winners for the GRI Readers’ Choice Awards.

In conjunction with the Awards, KPMG and SustainAbility - leading global sustainability reporting trend monitors - will conduct an online survey about sustainability report readers’ needs and preferences. The results of the Awards and Survey will give all sustainability report users worldwide the opportunity to shape the future of best practice in sustainability reporting.

By taking part, chapters will help ensure that countering corruption is given greater emphasis in the Awards. Both the Global Readers’ Choice Awards and the Survey results will be presented during ‘The Amsterdam Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency’, to be held 7 - 9 May 2008.

TI is supportive of the work of GRI which is the world’s leading framework for organisations reporting on their economic, environmental, and social performance. The GRI accomplishes this through the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework and Guidelines. Nearly 1,000 organisations worldwide now report using the GRI Guidelines.

Last year, GRI issued a third edition of Sustainability Reporting Guidelines known as G3. TI contributed to the development of G3 reporting indicators on anti-corruption. Details of the Awards are attached. To find out more or to register and start scoring reports, please go to www.awards.globalreporting.org

When submitting entries, please copy Susan Côte-Freeman at scotefreeman@transparency.org so we can track the response from the movement.

UK ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards: reporting on countering corruption is low on the agenda in sustainability reports

Corruption is a key risk for many businesses and a topic of CSR importance yet there is insufficient reporting on the issue; according to a review carried out by Transparency International of sustainability reports submitted to the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) UK Awards for Sustainability Reporting 2005.

To learn more, please click here.

The FTSE 4Good criteria for Countering Bribery

FTSE Group in 2006 launched criteria for countering bribery for its FTSE4Good Index Series. The criteria are based on the Business Principles for Countering Bribery and were developed in conjunction with Transparency International (TI). The development process included a wide public consultation exercise and the criteria have been widely welcomed by companies, investors, NGOs, and government bodies. Companies that are high risk according to the new criteria and currently FTSE4Good constituents must meet the criteria to remain in the index, according to a timetable of phased deadlines. The criteria will be implemented into the index series on a phased basis over two years, beginning 1 July 2006.
To learn more, please click here.

Business Principles tools in development

The BPCB place great emphasis on the implementation by companies of effective anti-bribery policies and systems. To provide assistance in this process TI has been developing a suite of related tools. Existing tools include a Guidance Document that is updated periodically and the TI Six-Step Process. In addition, the following tools are under development:

Self-Evaluation Module (SEM)

Work is well underway to develop a tool for use by companies wishing to conduct an internal assessment of their anti-bribery practices. Now in draft form, the SEM includes over 200 indicators which companies can use to check progress. The SEM has been reviewed by four focus groups, two in the U.S. and two in Europe, comprising companies, subject matter experts and other interested stakeholders to obtain feedback on the SEM’s usefulness. In a later phase, TI plans to run three or four in-company field tests with the SEM to evaluate its usefulness as a tool for internal reviews and as a core part of an external independent verification tool for use by external assessors, also to be tested in the pilots. It is anticipated that the SEM will be issued in mid-2006

External independent verification tool

This tool will be developed for companies wishing to obtain third-party verification of their compliance with their anti-bribery codes. It will be based on the Business Principles for Countering Bribery and the Self-Evaluation Module described above. The tool will be designed for use for independent external verifiers but could also be used for internal audit by companies. The tool will address the need for mechanisms that can lend additional credibility to the voluntary efforts of companies implementing anti-bribery measures.

Business Principles for Countering Bribery Workshops

Since the launch of the Business Principles for Countering Bribery (BPCB) in late 2002, more than 30 presentations and workshops focusing on the Business Principles for Countering Bribery have been held in over 25 countries. A significant development was the launch in Beijing of the Mandarin version of the BPCB. The event was co-hosted by the TI National Contact in China (the Anti-Corruption & Governance Research Centre in Tsinghua University) and the China Society of Administration Supervision (CSAS). The follow-up to the launch has led to a commitment by the Chinese leadership to using the BPCB in State-Owned Enterprises.

A Nordic-Baltic conference organised in partnership with SAP took place in Riga, Latvia on 21-22 November 2005. This event brought together Scandinavian and Baltic companies in a two-day event aimed at fostering an open dialogue on business integrity.

UN Global Compact Summit: Shanghai, China – 30 Nov - 1 Dec 2005

The two-day Summit was the largest event ever held in China on advancing responsible business practices in order to create a more sustainable and inclusive global economy. The Summit featured a range of plenary sessions and forums covering topics including: sustainable business and development; international trade; the workplace and community; the financial sector; and environmental stewardship.

The Summit culminated in the release of the 15-point Shanghai Declaration with the support of nearly 800 international business leaders and representatives of government and civil society who were assembled for the Global Compact Summit. The declaration includes a commitment to good corporate governance, transparency in business and the adoption of no-bribes policies.