Cross-thematic Group on Responsible Business Conduct and Anti-Corruption

Shaping an Interconnected World: 2017 B20 policy recommendations

Excerpts:

Assuming Responsibility

Recommendation 18: Establishing Beneficial Ownership Transparency – G20 members should increase their efforts to implement beneficial ownership transparency so that risks related to the ultimate owner(s) can be identified.

Recommendation 19: Recognize Compliance Efforts – G20 members should be supportive of a company’s proactive engagement by providing positive recognition of effective anti-corruption and compliance systems.

Recommendation 20: Enhance Responsible Business Conduct in Infrastructure Projects – G20 members should increase transparency and accountability at all stages of the project cycle in order to mitigate the risk of corruption and increase efficiency.

B20 Cross-Thematic Group responsible business conduct and anti-corruption policy paper

Promoting Integrity by Creating Opportunities for Responsible Businesses

Recommendation 1: Establish Beneficial Ownership Transparency

G20 members should increase their efforts to implement beneficial ownership transparency so that risks related to the ultimate owner(s) can be identified.

• Policy Action 1.1: Implement Beneficial Ownership Action Plans: G20 members should continue to lead the world in realizing beneficial ownership transparency by progressively implementing their action plans, raising global standards of data quality, exploring possibilities of connecting ownership information, and monitoring implementation progress.
• Policy Action 1.2: Ensure Availability of Information: G20 members should ensure easy access to, and efficient use of, beneficial ownership information by laying down clear rules governing access to information, and facilitating access for users through adequate measures and guidance.
• Policy Action 1.3: Improve Exchange of Information: G20 members should facilitate the timely and effective exchange of beneficial ownership information at the national and international levels by defining or adopting data standards, providing guidance on legal set-ups in their country, and assisting developing countries in improving company registers.

Recommendation 2: Recognize Compliance Efforts

G20 members should be supportive of a company’s proactive engagement by providing positive recognition of effective anti-corruption and compliance systems.

• Policy Action 2.1: Acknowledge Adequate Measures: G20 members should recognize corporate compliance efforts when awarding public contracts and when imposing sanctions for breaches, and they should explore additional ways to acknowledge compliance efforts.
• Policy Action 2.2: Encourage Self-disclosure and Self-cleaning: G20 members should be encouraged to harmonize their administrative and legal approaches to self-disclosure of compliance breaches, recognize effective and safe internal reporting, and support adequate self-cleaning.
• Policy Action 2.3: Promote a Culture of Integrity: G20 should continue its commitment to building a global culture of intolerance towards corruption by reinforcing international cooperation, including the promotion of key international instruments, supporting the provision of capacity building and training for SMEs and in non-G20 countries, as well as improving education on anti-corruption and integrity in schools and universities.

Recommendation 3: Enhance Responsible Business Conduct in Infrastructure Projects

G20 members should increase transparency and accountability at all stages of the project cycle in order to mitigate the risk of corruption and increase efficiency.

• Policy Action 3.1: Promote Responsible Government Conduct and Transparency: G20 members address the demand side of corruption and should ensure that public infrastructure projects are selected, planned, awarded and managed openly and accountably by promoting integrity in their own organizational structures and processes and by enhancing reporting about project risks, impacts, progress and costs.
• Policy Action 3.2: Ensure Recognition of Responsible Businesses: G20 members should promote integrity among participating businesses by specifying requirements related to RBC, by encouraging coherent sustainability reporting, and by providing awareness training on anti-corruption and integrity.
• Policy Action 3.3: Support Collective Action: G20 members should promote Collective Action, that are initiatives between different businesses, and between businesses and the public sector, which foster integrity (such as Integrity Pacts and High Level Reporting Mechanisms). G20 should initiate a study that explores joint ways of fighting corruption and misconduct in infrastructure projects.