Bribery is one of the most destructive and complex problems of our times, and despite national and international efforts to combat it, it remains widespread. It unfortunately has become fact of life.
The World Bank estimates that over USD 1 trillion is paid in bribes each year.
On a global level, it is a significant barrier to international trade, while within an organization it has a highly negative impact on employee morale. It raises serious social, moral, economic and political concerns, threatens good governance and destroys competition. It erodes justice, undermines human rights. On the other hand it increases the cost of doing business, increases the cost of goods and services, diminishes the quality of products and services, which ultimately destroys trust in institutions and interferes with the fair and efficient operation of markets.
Governments have made progress in addressing bribery through international agreements and through their national laws. In most jurisdictions, it is an offence for individuals to engage in bribery and there is a growing trend to make organizations, as well as individuals, liable for bribery.
However, the law alone is not enough to solve this problem. Organizations too have a responsibility to proactively contribute to combating this bad element - named bribery, which can be done systematically by installing a sort of anti-bribery system.
And this can be achieved by an anti-bribery management system, which this document – the standard “ISO 37001: Anti-bribery management systems – Requirements with guidance for use” is intended to provide, and through leadership commitment to establishing a culture of integrity, transparency, openness and compliance.
What is this standard and for whom?
This document reflects international good practice and can be used in all jurisdictions. It is applicable to small, medium and large organizations in all sectors, including public, private and not-for-profit sectors. It covers bribery by and against an organization or its staff, and bribes paid or received through or by a third party. The bribery can take place anywhere, be of any value and can involve financial or non-financial advantages or benefits.
The bribery risks faced by an organization vary according to factors such as the size of the organization, the locations and sectors in which the organization operates, and the nature, scale and complexity of the organization's activities.
An anti-bribery management system is designed to induct an anti-bribery culture within an organization and implement appropriate controls, which will in turn increase the chance of detecting bribery and reduce its incidence in the first place.
Benefits?
It helps to reduce the risk of bribery occurring and can demonstrate to your management, employees, owners, funders, customers and other business associates that you have put in place internationally recognized good-practice anti-bribery controls. It can also provide evidence in the event of a criminal investigation that you have taken reasonable steps to prevent bribery.
The measures required by ISO 37001 are designed to be integrated into existing management processes and controls. ISO 37001 is based on the ISO High-Level Structure (HLS) for management system standards. This means it can be easily integrated into other existing management systems (such as quality, environmental and safety).
While it cannot guarantee that there will be no bribery in relation to your organization, certification or compliance with this standard can help you implement robust and proportionate measures that can substantially reduce the risk of bribery and address bribery where it does occur.
As usual TUV India shall be ready to support organisations achieve their goal to have an effective anti-bribery management system, by providing training and certification services.