The engagement and strengthening of the private-sector response to corruption risks in business transactions could be advanced through Anti- Corruption Collective Action. Collective action is necessary when a problem cannot be solved by individual actors. Only if the public and private sectors collaborate can we overcome systemic barriers, change the status quo and build transparent systems that favour good performance. The idea and practices of Anti-Corruption Collective Action can help concretize action in support of critical individual efforts by stakeholders.

The International Centre for Collective Action, hosted by the Basel Institute on Governance, OECD’s Working Group on Bribery, GIZ’s Alliance for Integrity, and Siemens Integrity Initiative are some of the collective action initiatives that have had a major influence in shaping the discussion around Collective Action across the world.

In a journey that spans over a decade, UN GCNI has been a part of many AC CA projects through various rounds of Siemens Integrity Initiative as well as the UK Prosperity Fund India Programme of the British High Commission. UN GCNI has been instrumental in establishing the fundamentals of Anti-corruption and redefining the approach to practice the principles of ACCA in India.

Through following projects, UN GCNI has...

(First Round: Anti-Corruption practices and oil and gas sector – Corporate Governance)

• Strengthened Ethical and Transparent Corporate Governance.
• Promoted the need for Collective Action projects to address corruption issues in the Indian context; viz. public procurement, bribery, and fraud in the private sector and supply chain transparency.
• Developed a business case for transparency by building consensus and showcasing the negative impact of corruption on profits.

(Second Round: Establishing a Center of Excellence for promoting responsible Business Practices – Urban Governance)

• Established a Centre of Excellence, which was a knowledge repository viz, Centre of Excellence for Governance, Ethics and Transparency (CEGET).
• Established a premier knowledge repository for transparency and Governance.
• Positioned the core values of collective action in urban governance.
• Developed a Framework for the Governance of Smart Cities.

(Third round – Scaling Up Anti-Corruption Collective Action within Global Compact Local Network- Health Governance)

• Conducted research and Focus Group Discussions and designed the interventions and explored the methodologies and solutions to address corruption challenges in the Healthcare Sector in India.
• Constituted a dedicated Working Group of leaders from the Healthcare, Corporates, PSUs, Pharmaceuticals, Medical equipment manufacturing industries, Healthcare organizations, Healthcare Research Institutes & Academia, Law and Anti-Corruption Experts, etc. who are supporting Anti-Corruption Collective Action (AC CA) Initiatives of UN Global Compact Network India (UN CCNI) through regular consultations and active engagement in projects.
• Developed a roadmap for bringing transparency, and accountability and addressing corruption challenges with collective action for strengthening the Healthcare sector.
• Developed an ACCA initiative in the healthcare sector by engaging Pharmaceuticals, corporates, and Healthcare professionals along with potential stakeholders.
• Established and strengthened networking and Custodian Ministry and relevant regulatory body.
• Coming up with the best practice compendium on Anti-Corruption for the Healthcare sector.

(Golden Stretch Round: Advancing Anti-Corruption Collective Action within Global Compact Local Network – Corporate Governance “MSMEs”)

• Identified corruption challenges in MSMEs (sector) and explored the methodologies /solutions to address the identified corruption challenges.
• Educated and Trained MSMEs on responsible business practices focused on integrity and compliance.
• Built alliances that share the same vision and goals and are clear on how these are to be achieved through Anti-Corruption Collective Action.

(Golden Stretch Round: Collective Action Against Maritime Corruption in India)

• Setting up an adequate compliant administration framework for the programme funds and activities.
• Participate in bi-annual Project Steering Committee meetings with key project partners and Siemens.
• Participating in MACN-led meetings with the global maritime industry whenever relevant and sharing ideas and solutions to mitigate corruption challenges in maritime industries
• Advising MACN and team on how to engage Government in the Public-private sector roundtables and Integrity training etc.
• Advising MACN on conducting integrity gap assessment and reform recommendations and how to engage the government.
• Setting up and Operationaling Helpdesk
• Conducting advocacy with Policy /Decision Makers.

• A publication on Business Case for Transparency, states that 15-35 percent of profits are ensured when anti-corruption policies and practices are in place in a business. It was a compilation of articles from subject experts and practitioners leading various anti-corruption initiatives as well as industry leaders.
• A compendium of case studies and initiatives of the public and private enterprises which have contributed to advancing the anti-corruption agenda.
• A list of recommendations for advancing the public procurement policy in India through a White Paper, some of which were included in a set of rules of the Finance Ministry.
• For bringing integrity and transparency to Urban governance, various tools for knowledge transformation were created from a Smart city’s perspective, including a Proof of concept ‘Framework on Governance for Smart Cities’, ‘Risk Assessment Toolkit’, and a ‘PPP framework for IT and Infrastructure sector.’