Best Practices Toolkit

The CLEANBIZ Best Practices Toolkit is specially curated for SMEs and Startups, namely the ones based in Iceland, Norway and Portugal.

It can be used together with the CLEANBIZ Self-Assessment Checklist.

It is a living document, and will be continuously updated over time, so don’t forget to stay tuned!

Companies face many compliance challenges which can turn out to be incredible damaging, not only for the companies’ reputation, but also lead to heavy fines and criminal charges that can completely derail their economic and financial viability.

Violations of the law have serious consequences both at home and abroad. Thus, knowing what’s at stake, as well as to prevent wrongdoing – such as bribery, money laundering or fraud – is the first step to assure compliance.

When it comes to international trade, it is even more critical for companies to adopt a responsible business conduct, because corrupt practices and human rights abuses are interlinked.

Corruption is not country-specific, but rather a transnational phenomenon that has devastating impacts on human rights, undermines the rule of law and the legitimacy of the State’s institutions and processes, and equally reduces business opportunities and the profitability of companies.

SMEs are known to be the driving forces of development in many countries, but especially in developing countries they are the ones assist the creation of employment, innovation, income generation and poverty reduction through enhanced competition and entrepreneurship.

But, quite often, they lack resources and know-how able to boost their integrity standars into proper business integrity programmes.

Understanding what's at stake

Corruption is a transnational phenomenon that has devastating impacts on human rights, undermines the rule of law and the legitimacy of the State’s institutions and processes, and equally reduces business opportunities and the profitability of companies. Thus, the first step in adopting a responsible business conduct is to recognize integrity as a core value that needs to be streamlined to all the company’s operations and incorporated by all company’s members into their day-to-day activities, regardless of the location

What is bribery in foreign trade?

Promising, offering or giving an undue advantage to a foreign public official or an official of a public international organisation, or the soliciting or accepting of one by such an official. This might happen directly or indirectly and be either for themselves or another person. The intention is that the official performs or refrains from performing their official duties so that the offender obtains or retains international business or another undue advantage.

Check

Transparency International’s Glossary
Transparency International’s Glossary is based on the text of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)
Click Here

The Fishrot revelations, disclosed by whistleblower Johannes Stefansson, show how Icelandic fishing company Samherji paid millions of dollars, through tax heavens such as Cyprus and the Marshall Islands, to bribe high level officials in Namibia in exchange for trawling rights. With an annual turnover of $700 million, Samherji is one of the largest fishing companies in the world.

Read more

Watch Transparency’s International presenting the Exporting Corruption 2020, a research report that rates the performance of 47 leading global exporters, including 43 countries that are signatories of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Anti-Bribery Convention.

What are the impacts of corruption in Human Rights and Sustainable Development?

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2021 published by Transparency Interntional revealed that corruption enables both human rights abuses and democratic decline, witch constitutes a major obstacle to sustainable development

Read more

Play Video

Watch the CLEANBIZ Online conference discussing the obstacles and ongoing efforts to enhance business integrity though a human-rights based approach to anticorruption. Speakers: Peter Eigen, François Valérian and Gillian Dell

What are the rules and regulations in place?

National Anti-Corruption Regulations

Recognizing business integrity

It is a good start to familiarise you and your team with the principles inscribed in international standards against corruption and for the protection of human rights. This will help you embed your values and approaches into the fibre of your operations.

Play Video

Watch the CLEANBIZ International Seminar.

Speakers: Inês Crispim Ribeiro (NOVA BHRE), Jóhannes Stefánsson, Whistleblower caso Fishrot (Islândia), Luís Pais Bernardo (CeSA/ISEG e FEUC), Jonas Ådnøy Holmqvist (Ethical Trade Norway), Julia Gracia (NOVA Compliance Lab) and João Paulo Batalha (Frente Cívica).

Risk Mapping & Due Diligence

It’s very important to know the market and country specific corruption risk, as well as to perform due diligence correctly.

You can hire an anticorruption expert. There are specialized companies that assist compliance and due diligence in international trade. If your resources are scarce, you can reach out to NGOs, such as Transparency International National Chapters.

The ways you conduct due diligence might vary according to the resources you have at hand. For example, you can use:

Acting for change

If you wish to boost your integrity standards and to learn more about CLEANBIZ, reach out to the focal points in Iceland, Norway and Portugal!

CLEANBIZ – Power-up Anti-bribery for Human Rights and Sustainable Development is supported by the EEA Grants Bilateral Relations Fund