Good practice for countering bribery in business in the Middle-East was the main topic of discussion during a Transparency International (TI) regional workshop organised by Schema, an advisory service on corporate governance, and supported by the United States Center for International Private Enterprise, which was held in Amman on 18 July.

“Developing practices to build private sector integrity” was the second in a series of three workshops across North Africa and the Middle East that focussed on the private sector. Representatives came from Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Saudi Arabia. The workshop provided participants with a platform to examine issues related to the development and implementation of practical programmes for enhancing good governance and countering bribery. A key Transparency International initiative, the Business Principles for Countering Bribery were featured – providing a framework for good practice by companies in countering bribery that are supported by a suite of implementation tools.

As a direct result of the workshop, a working group consisting of representatives from various companies was formed. This group will work on private sector driven initiatives, with the long term goal of trying to get government regulation on corporate governance. TI will support this process and Schema has agreed to help organise the initiative.