Paris - Ethics training can be a major tool in fighting corruption in developing countries, according to the results of the latest quarterly World Economic Survey (WES) by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Institute for Economic Research (Ifo) in Munich. The survey’s findings, based on responses to an ICC Special Question, also revealed that transparency in government procurement is the most important factor in fighting corruption. The results of the ICC Special Question in the Q4 WES survey were based on the views of 1,156 experts polled in 124 countries worldwide. Emerging nations favour ethics training In the first part of the question the experts were asked whether they agreed stronger emphasis on ethics and compliance training for business in their respective countries would help improve productivity and attract more foreign investment. Although the results differed markedly according to the region, it was clear experts in emerging nations overwhelmingly supported the statement. In Africa, 90% of experts agreed and in both South America and Asia the consensus level was at 88%. There was also a high level of agreement from experts in Eastern Europe and the CIS countries where the statement was supported by 87% and 85% respectively. In Europe, 48% of respondents agreed with the statement and in North America and Oceania it was supported by 31% and 33% of respondents respectively. When the findings are tied in with Transparency International’s 2011 Corruption Perceptions Indicator (CPI), they reveal a general pattern: the more corrupt a country is perceived to be, the greater the consensus that ethics training is needed to help boost the economy. Government transparency required In the second part of the ICC Special Question, ‘Transparency in government procurement’ was clearly identified by the vast majority of experts across all countries and regions as the most important factor in fighting corruption. “The results of the survey clearly show corruption is a major economic challenge for several countries in the world,” said Jean-Guy Carrier, ICC Secretary General. “The harm to a country’s economy caused by corruption is much larger than the personal benefits obtained and leads to economic inefficiency and to prosperity losses. Governments and businesses alike need to place the fight against corruption at the top of their agenda.” ICC is a pioneer in developing practical tools to help business drive integrity in business transactions. Reacting to calls from G20 governments for business to take concrete steps in the fight against corruption, ICC has recently expanded its suite of anti-corruption tools that includes the ICC Rules on Combating Corruption, and the RESIST toolkit for countering solicitation and extortion. Most recently, ICC introduced an anti-corruption clause for companies to insert into any contract – whereby parties agree to comply with the ICC Rules on Combating Corruption or commit to put in place and maintain an anti-corruption compliance programme. ICC is also currently developing an ethics and compliance training for business which will provide companies with the know-how they need to implement an effective anti-corruption compliance programme.

The World Economic Survey assesses worldwide economic trends by polling transnational and national organizations worldwide on current economic developments in their respective countries. The October ICC/Ifo survey polled 1,156 economic experts from business and academic institutions in 124 countries to assess current and expected economic developments. Their answers were analyzed to reach quarterly figures representative of the current global economic climate, situation and expectations.
For the latest survey results visit: http://www.iccwbo.org/News/Articles/2012/World-economic-climate-continues-to-decline,-according-to-latest-ICC/Ifo-survey/

The International Chamber of Commerce is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its hundreds of thousands of member companies in over 120 countries have interests spanning every sector of private enterprise. A world network of national committees keeps the ICC International Secretariat in Paris informed about national and regional business priorities. More than 2,000 experts drawn from ICC’s member companies feed their knowledge and experience into crafting the ICC stance on specific business issues. The United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G20 and many other intergovernmental bodies, both international and regional, are kept in touch with the views of international business through ICC. For more information visit: www.iccwbo.org