2023 OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum

The opening will include high-level remarks from OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann and world leaders, highlighting the importance of strong political leadership in combatting corruption. • Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General, OECD • Rodrigo Chaves Robles, President, Costa Rica (by video) • Richard Nephew, Global Coordinator for Anticorruption, Department of State, USA • Vera Jourova, Vice-President for Values and Transparency, European Commission (by video) • Ronald Lamola, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, South Africa • Delia Ferreira, Chair, Transparency International • Brad Smith, President, Microsoft (by video)

Trust and integrity are key to foster economic growth and innovation, and therefore are central to meeting long-term goals such as addressing climate change and the crisis of democracy. As we witness multiple social, political and economic disruptions around the world, renewed international commitments and action from all stakeholders is imperative to address corruption and foster a rules-based economy. Through a panel discussion, leaders in the public and private sectors as well as civil society will strategize on how they can work together to strengthen anti-corruption measures, stimulate a race-to-the-top and reinforce trust in the business environment.

Reinforcing democracy: the role of integrity amongst elected and appointed officials Integrity is an inherent value of democracy that ensures that government responds to the interests of the people. From elections to policy implementation, integrity of elected and appointed officials ensures that everybody has a voice, that the interests of constituencies are fairly represented, that there is no undue influence of government policies, and that government action is aligned with the public interest. This session will unpack how governments can further strengthen integrity in elections, political affairs, and policymaking.

Quality infrastructure is critical for supporting economic growth, enhancing prosperity and well-being. Over the next decade, trillions of dollars will be mobilized by public and private actors into infrastructure development to support a just transition, net zero goals and post-conflict reconstruction. However, infrastructure remains highly exposed to corruption, especially in at-risk contexts such as post-conflict environments, and can act as an enabler of serious human rights, labour and environmental abuses. This session will explore to harness multi-stakeholder solutions, such as the Infrastructure Anti-Corruption Toolbox, to address corruption, de-risk projects, ensure actors across the infrastructure lifecycle are incentivized to act with integrity and support the reconstruction of Ukraine.

This session will explore the application of machine learning and intelligent automation in identifying potential integrity vulnerabilities, accountability gaps, and other risks in climate projects. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) and CivicDataLab will delve into this realm of technical innovations and its profound impact on risk mitigation, funding decisions, and the prevention of prohibited practices like fraud and corruption within climate projects. The GCF will reflect on how it is capitalizing on innovations to develop machine learning modules to identify integrity risks, and a use case of how practitioners are applying these to critical infrastructure sectors in Jamaica. CivicDataLab will discuss how they are applying these innovations to enable data-driven decision making at scale in climate-related projects in India.

Corruption is a global, cross-cutting issue that the public and private sector must face together to guarantee a sustainable future and progress on the long-term challenges we are facing. Education and digital technologies can be powerful and mutually reinforcing tools in this regard. The “Zero Corruption” Manifesto launched by the Business at OECD (BIAC) Anti-corruption Committee in November 2022 recognizes the key role of these two factors by including them amongst the ten golden rules it sets for the fight of business against corruption. Since its publication, the manifesto has served as guide for BIAC’s work on this issue. Besides emphasizing the importance of tackling corruption to reach the SDGs at the OECD and other relevant organizations, BIAC has published a detailed brochure on how companies use digital tools in their fight against corruption and is planning a similar project for education. In this context, this side event will bring together representatives of the OECD and the global business community to discuss innovative ways of tackling corruption, looking specifically at the role that education and digital technologies can play. The event will be moderated by Nicola Allocca, Director Risk Management, Compliance and Business Continuity at Autostrade per l’Italia, and Chair of the Business at OECD Anti-Corruption Committee.

Providers of development co-operation have adopted a Zero Tolerance stance against corruption, but what does it entail? Views diverge as how best to operationalise this principle to strike a suitable balance between safeguarding development funds and attaining relevant development objectives. This session will clarify the meaning and value-added of the Zero Tolerance principle in development co-operation; identify progress made and lessons learned in corruption risk management; and review any challenges for further progress towards an effective application and calibration of the Zero Tolerance approach, as the basis for sustainable development.

Anti-corruption diligence has become integrated into legal and business operations. While many of its driving forces have pushed human rights diligence to the fore, the primary distinction has been the kind of broad legal mandate that exists in a number of domestic legislations and the related enforcement efforts. However, that is about to change, as mandatory due diligence laws are rapidly emerging, human rights is being integrated into other areas of international regulatory compliance, and human rights-related disputes continue to rise. The panel will focus on how the due diligence experience in anticorruption can be transposed to the human right agenda, as well as the limits of such synergies.

Governments are expected to encourage transparency and stakeholders’ engagement at all stages of the political process and policy cycle to promote accountability and the public interest. Yet, little evidence is available on what tools are used in practice to promote public integrity in public policy making. The OECD therefore, as the first international organisation, recently developed a set of standard indicators that draw on primary data to credibly measure whether governments fall short or achieve their anticorruption commitments and pledges. This session presents the results from a unique dataset collected from OECD and non-OECD Members in the areas of lobbying, political finance, conflict-of-interest, open data, open government, public consultation and risk management, focusing on both regulations and practice. The aim is to identify good practices on how to foster a transparent, accountable and open government, which allows for meaningful participation of all stakeholders in the development and implementation of public policies, and averts the capture of public policies. Explore the OECD Public Integrity Indicators data at www.oecd-public-integrity-indicators.org

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of many economies around the globe. They represent 99 percent of all business in the OECD area – the critical mass needed to drive positive change for a cleaner business environment. With generally scarcer resources than larger companies and often operating in difficult environments, SMEs are particularly at risk of corruption and foreign bribery. This heightened vulnerability to corruption and need for support on compliance efforts opens opportunities for anticorruption Collective Action. Since the 2008 World Bank guide for business "Fighting Corruption Through Collective Action”, the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration to address corruption has gained momentum, including through the 2021 OECD Anti-Bribery Recommendation. However, SMEs need clear business incentives and a tailored approach considering their limited resources for compliance. Collective Action allows for peer learning, capacity-building as well as collaborative problem-solving addressing integrity challenges. This session will bring together private sector representatives and experts with hands-on experience of the benefits and challenges of anti-corruption Collective Action from an SME perspective.

The aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine launched in February 2022 is the largest conflict in Europe since the World War Two. Ukraine withstood the initial Russian attack, pushes occupying forces back and starts planning its post-war recovery. The international community including individual states, international organisations, and IFIs have pledged to provide assistance to Ukraine for its recovery and modernization. This assistance however must be accompanied with transparency integrity, and accountability of all actors in the recovery process. During this session, representatives of Ukrainian authorities (Ministry for Recovery, NACP, NABU) and civil society (RISE UA) will provide an outline of the latest achievements in the field of public integrity, and describe innovative solutions that will ensure transparency and accountability of the use of international assistance and all recovery processes. They will also present their view on effective anti-corruption law enforcement both during and after war.

Meeting the Paris Agreement climate goals will require a quadrupling of the minerals currently used by clean energy technologies by 2040. Corruption could undermine the mining and metals sector’s ability to meet this surging demand responsibly—if at all. Many players in today’s critical mineral supply chains are assuming new roles and negotiating unprecedented deals. As a result, companies are managing unfamiliar corruption risks, and regulators and oversight actors are struggling to keep up. This session will highlight current challenges and best practices for mitigating corruption risks and perspectives on how governments can incentivise responsible behaviour and support efforts to combat corruption across the mineral supply chain.

Governments around the world take different approaches to preventing, investigating, and sanctioning integrity breaches by candidates and public officials alike - such as political finance offenses and public procurement abuses. A strong legal framework along with effective oversight and enforcement within these fields are critical for heading off and sanctioning misuse of funds for self-enrichment and political gain. Unfortunately, application of related laws and sanctions can be a challenge in practice. Overlapping mandates, unclear delimitation of administrative and criminal liabilities, gaps or ambiguities in regulations, and disproportionate remedies for violations are just some of the impediments to effective implementation. During this session, the CEELI Institute and IFES will share findings from a research project that examines the different approaches states take to navigate these challenges. Panelists representing independent state institutions with prevention and oversight mandates and practitioners will share their own practical insights and recommendations and explore successful approaches to prevention, detection and sanctioning of such integrity breaches.

The pernicious effects of corruption on promoting economic stability and helping countries achieve strong, sustainable, and inclusive growth are well known. Most governance and anti-corruption reforms are complex and require a long-term commitment. In 2018 the IMF completely revamped its approach to addressing corruption in its work with member countries. Since the adoption of the 2018 Framework to guide the work in this area, the Fund has enhanced its efforts to focus on governance vulnerabilities in key state functions (e.g., fiscal governance, financial sector oversight) that result from corruption and/or give rise to opportunities for corruption. Please join Fund staff to discuss key efforts in these past five years and specific proposals for the way forward, to facilitate effective progress in these areas in collaboration with partners and stakeholders.

Valuable natural resources are used to finance war and human rights atrocities all over the world. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has thrown the issue into the limelight illustrating the cost of closing our eyes to this phenomenon. Despite sanctions and product bans on Russia’s lucrative industries including the extractive sector, it has not been possible to close the net on Russian diamonds, gold, and other mined materials exposing longstanding loopholes in responsible sourcing guidelines and sanctions enforcement. Natural resources should be used to fund public services, but are instead used by violent kleptocracies for private gains and the funding of violence and repression in an endless loop of corruption and human rights abuses. Cases from different parts of the world are highlighted and the panellists discuss relevant solutions for policymakers, businesses, and financial institutions with a specific focus on practical actions and implementation.

Fraud and error can undermine policy goals and objectives by diverting public funds from their intended purposes. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, governments estimated a high level of fraud and error. Three years later, governments have estimated even higher levels of fraud and fraud risks, particularly in areas of high volume and accelerated spending that are naturally prone to fraud, such as social benefit programmes, procurement, and aid for businesses. This session will explore lessons learned in the wake of the pandemic and how integrity and accountability actors can prepare for future crises.

With the new EU directive on whistleblowing, organisations with at least 50 employees will have to establish reporting channels by December 2023. It will affect many organisations and people in the EU, but also outside the EU. We'll discuss how to adapt to this new legal framework and create a system that works for everyone, especially those who may be vulnerable. This session is an opportunity to explore what an effective whistleblowing management system looks like, in the development of whistleblowing channels, the management of whistleblowing reports and for whistleblower protection. We will also consider the risks and opportunities for whistleblowers with the development of new whistleblowing legal framework in countries without judicial independence and rule of law.

Commodity trading is a sector of strategic importance that has historically been vulnerable to multiple forms of corruption including illicit cross-border trade, underground financial systems, trade diversion, transfer pricing, invoicing abuse and trade-based money laundering. The sector is also notoriously opaque and poorly regulated, with low levels of transparency and accountability. Today, these long-standing risks are compounded by the fragmentation of the global trading system in an era of rising populism, and by global shocks to commodity markets like climate change and the war in Ukraine. The Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence (GI-ACE) Programme recently produced a report that analyses emerging corruption risks surrounding global trade in food, energy, and cryptocurrencies, as well as identifying avenues for future research and possible policy interventions in the changing landscape of global trade.

While foreign entities such as governments, political or corporate organisations have a legitimate interest in promoting and representing their interests abroad, some of their activities, in particular when they are linked to non-democratic regimes, may directly seek to bias the development of public policies or interfere in domestic processes through covert and deceptive activities. This can include disinformation campaigns, malign political financing and opaque lobbying, with the objective to manipulate public opinion, manipulate public decision-makers to advance their interests, undermine the integrity of elections and threaten vital security interests of another country. This session will explore how democratic governments, with businesses and civil society, can strengthen resilience to these risks through mutually supportive actions, including identifying and preventing information manipulation coming from abroad, and strengthening integrity and transparency in all forms of influence.

Water is a key natural resource with significant impacts on people and economies. Delivering quality water infrastructure is essential to meet the targets for Sustainable Development Goal 6 and ensuring adequate provision for all. A lack of good governance in the selection and planning of water projects can drive priorities away from social needs. In response to this challenge, CoST – the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative, the Water Integrity Network and the Inter-American Development Bank have partnered to develop a set of indicators and associated data points to help strengthen transparency, accountability and integrity in the sector. Our research goes deep into the dynamics of decision-making, demonstrating the value of having objective metrics to identify unusual patterns in the process of allocating water investment and to enable practical improvements. This session will outline the approach and methodology, share the findings arising from the research and consider the potential impact of this approach if it were scaled-up.