OSCE brings together a network of stakeholders who aspire to the highest anti-corruption and ethical standards in business practices
An international conference on “Business Integrity, International Standards, Regional Challenges and the way forward” on 16 and 17 December 2019 in Tashkent. The aim of the event was to introduce and discuss best international practices in business integrity and collective action in combating corruption. The event was organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and financially supported by the Government of Germany.
Some 120 participants attended the conference. They represented various state-owned enterprises, public companies, and private businesses of Uzbekistan. Fourteen experts in corporate governance, anti-corruption and compliance from Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Turkey, Ukraine, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Basel Institute on Governance discussed business integrity measures in state policies, corporate governance and integrity, role of the boards, reporting channels, facilitation of collective action and other relevant topics.
The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, John MacGregor, said: “The OSCE recognizes that corruption remains a global phenomenon, which can affect the lives of people and security of nations by causing poverty, hampering development and driving away investment. The OSCE acknowledges corruption can be eradicated by joint action of all stakeholders, including those in the business sector. An appropriate culture of integrity in business represents an important element of the fight against corruption.”
The discussions also focused on the role of the business community in developing a business integrity policy taking into account risk factors such as the promotion of the development of compliance programmes, protection of persons reporting offenses (whistle-blowers) and encouraging collective anti-corruption business actions.
“Courage is the value of all values. What is the worth of other values if you do not have the courage to stand-up for them at the time of challenge” said during his exciting presentation Paulius Martinkus, Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, the Vilnius Central Heating Network.
The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan supports anti-corruption efforts of Uzbekistan through the 2018–2020 project “Support Uzbekistan in Implementing and Promoting Business Integrity Standards”. It has been implemented since 2018 together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and the Republican Inter-Agency Commission on Combating Corruption.