16-20 December 2019, Abu Dhabi
Private Sector & Anti-Corruption Education was the focus of a special event of the 8th Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, held in Abu Dhabi on 16-20 December 2019.
The special event, organized by UNODC and Italy, was entitled "Private sector as a partner in anti-corruption education: Promoting innovative approaches to business integrity". It brought together UN, governments, academia and business to discuss UNODC's new Siemens-funded Global Integrity Education Project & the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative. The panelists discussed the importance of anti-corruption training and education for business integrity, and how multi-stakeholder partnerships between business, academia, educators and the UN can promote the fight against corruption. They addressed these questions by sharing insights from UNODC's various academic and private sector initiatives, including E4J, the Anti-Corruption Academic ( ACAD) initiative, and the new Siemens-funded Global Integrity Education Project, and by illustrating best practices of integrity and transparency in the private sector. During the event, the outcome of the 2nd Anti-Corruption Academic Symposium organised by UNODC and MGIMO was discussed and a short video of the Symposium was presented.
Article 12 and Article 13 of UNCAC emphasize the crucial role of the private sector and education systems in the anti-corruption efforts of States parties. Companies that promote anti-corruption standards, including effective compliance systems and integrity measures, contribute to a level playing field for a fair and transparent economic environment. Universities shape the knowledge and mindsets of our future leaders. However, anti-corruption education and business integrity measures are lacking worldwide. UNODC started to fill these gaps by developing, with the support of over 100 professors from around the world, modules on anti-corruption, integrity and ethics that are adaptable for use in schools, universities and companies around the world. UNODC is now preparing to maximize the impact of the modules by involving the private sector in this process. In particular, under the new Siemens-funded Global Integrity Education Project, UNODC brings together academics and private sector actors in various locations to adapt the modules to local contexts and to enrich them with case studies of actual integrity challenges in specific industries and countries. The new localized modules are expected to have a greater impact compared to the generic modules.
Panelists at the special event included: Nadeem Anwer, Regional Compliance Officer Middle East, Siemens; Luca Franceschini, Head of Global Compliance, ENI; Nicoletta Pia di Cagno, Head of Ethics & Antibribery, SNAM; Florian Lair, Alliance for Integrity; and Sigall Horovitz, Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, UNODC
The flyer of the event is available here.
Siemens provides an overview of the new projects funded by the Siemens Integrity Initiative, including 3 UNODC projects in Myanmar, the MENA region & the Global Integrity Education project: https://sie.ag/38PpDMO
Information on the E4J initiative is available at http://www.unodc.org/e4j/
