Navigating a Sea of International Compliance Standards to Build a Framework for an Effective Strategic Compliance Program.
How is Your Company Keeping Up with International Regulations?
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The Good Practice Guidance on Internal Controls, Ethics and Compliance (OECD). The Anti-Corruption Ethics and Compliance Handbook for Business (OECD). The U.K. Bribery Act 2010. The British Ministry of Justice’s Adequate Procedures document.
So many laws and regulations. So few resources are available to ensure compliance.
To stifle the spread of corruption globally, the world’s governing bodies have woven together with a complex and ever-expanding web of laws, regulations and standards that significantly impact how multi-national organizations conduct business. And if your business isn’t meeting the myriad obligations established by government bodies worldwide, the risk exposure can grow exponentially as each day passes.
Good corporate governance begins at the top, with a strong leadership desire to demonstrate that the organization takes every available course to prevent corruption. The challenge comes in interpreting and complying with the various laws, standards, codes and rules that companies face at the local, regional, and national levels and developing solid internal systems that safeguard your organization from the internal and external risks associated with corruption.
The guidelines outlined in the internationally accepted “ISO 37301:2021 Compliance Management Systems” represent the first step in developing a framework that protects the organization and prevents it from falling victim to the many risks associated with corporate corruption. And Certification – through Anti-Bribery Anti-Corruption (ABAC™) Center of Excellence – can assist in developing processes and systems specifically designed to help your organization effectively manage its compliance risks while fostering a system-wide culture of business integrity.
ISO 37301:2021 – Based on the Principles of Good Governance
ISO 37301:2021 is a standard that guides establishing, developing, implementing, evaluating, maintaining and improving an organization’s compliance management program. It covers all compliance-related issues, including anti-bribery, anti-corruption, antitrust, fraud, misconduct, export control, anti-money laundering, etc.
The standard acts as a global benchmark for an effective and responsive compliance management program, with a foundation based on good governance and transparency principles. Further, the guidelines set forth by the standard apply to all types and sizes of organizations and aren’t restricted by industry, sector, risk exposure or geographic reach.
ISO 37301:2021 Helps an Organization:
- Become attuned to new and existing laws, rules and regulations on a global level;
- Be alerted when the risk of breaching any regulation exists;
- Correct potential breaches swiftly and effectively.
ISO 37301:2021 Offers Organizations a Competitive Advantage
At the surface, organizations that implement ISO 37301:2021 demonstrate a commitment to company-wide good governance and ethical practices, two core principles that contribute to the overall economic success of any business. But the benefits of implementation go much deeper and include:
- Safeguarding the organization’s overall reputation
- Verifying the existence of an effective compliance management system
- Reducing the risk of prosecution in legal proceedings
- Strengthening the organization’s position in international business deals
Additionally, courts in several jurisdictions have previously considered an organization’s overall commitment to compliance when determining penalties in corruption-related legal cases. An effective compliance management system proves the organization’s integrity levels and business values.
An Invaluable Complement to ISO 37001
While ISO 37301:2021 provides organizations with guidelines for implementing appropriate measures to prevent, detect and monitor compliance, the standard does not explicitly lay out the requirements needed to address the various individual components of corruption.
That’s where “ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management Systems” comes into play. This globally recognized standard certifies that an organization has implemented reasonable and proportionate measures to prevent bribery and establishes requirements for top-level leadership, training, bribery risk assessment, due diligence adequacy, financial and commercial controls, reporting, audit and investigation.
Compliance with both standards presents a unique opportunity for the organization to firmly state that its anti-bribery controls and systems fall directly in line with the company’s compliance management systems by the standards.
Benefits of Integration to Both Standards
ISO 37001 (a standard based on requirements) is structured so that it can be easily integrated into an existing compliance management system by ISO 37301:2021. In both standards, the corporate objective is to establish generally accepted, best-practice procedures, controls and measures to identify, detect, prevent and monitor system-wide corruption while demonstrating a strong commitment to compliance.
This greatly benefits businesses — particularly multi-national organizations — seeking a competitive advantage when expanding operations across geographic regions, attracting potential investors, reporting to current stakeholders, and building viable partnerships in the global marketplace.
Furthermore, such integration addresses marketplace expectations that the organization has firm control over the operations of its outside suppliers, agents, distributors and other third-party affiliations.
Certification through ABAC™ Centre of Excellence
ABAC™ educates, equips and supports the world’s leading business organizations with best-practice risk assessments, performance assessments, systems improvement and standards Certification.
We provide world-class consulting services to organizations seeking to validate or expand their existing compliance frameworks to maintain a competitive edge in the world marketplace.
The ABAC™ offers a complete suite of world-class services and solutions designed to help organizations mitigate the internal and external risks associated with operating in multi-jurisdiction and multi-cultural environments while assisting in developing frameworks for strategic compliance programs.
ABAC Group™ provides an expert audit of your existing risk management system to assess effectiveness and vulnerabilities while ensuring your organization adequately complies with FCPA rules, U.K. Bribery Act laws, Anti-Money Laundering regulations, and all other global, regional and local regulations.
ISO 37301:2021 & ISO 37001:2016 Certification
ABAC Group™ is fully trained to offer independent Certification to ensure that your organization complies with the standards. Our auditors and analysts work with your team to benchmark compliance and anti-bribery management systems following the standards.
These services further benefit the organization in that top management, compliance officers, risk managers, internal and external auditors, and all related personnel work together to implement adequate measures to prevent non-compliant behaviour on several key fronts, including:
- Comprehending the scope and context of the compliance management system
- Equipping the organization’s leadership via management-led controls
- Educating personnel on the importance of compliance
- Furthering compliance as a risk mitigation tool
- Establishing firm compliance objectives
- Building training programs that foster a strong corporate culture of compliance
- Developing effective communications and supporting documentation
- Monitoring the effectiveness of the compliance framework
- Identifying the necessary actions to ensure continuous improvement of the program
ABAC Group™ can provide tailor-made, comprehensive solutions to assist clients in implementing a highly effective corporate compliance and anti-bribery management system.
A Global Leader in Risk Management, Anti-Bribery, and Compliance Risk Assessment & Management Systems
ABAC Group™ is a worldwide leader in corporate investigations and risk management, serving distinguished clients across the globe. ABAC Group™ safeguards businesses by establishing the legal compliance, financial viability, and integrity levels of outside partners, suppliers and customers seeking to affiliate with an organization. ABAC Group™ excels in providing support to the global business, industry and financial sectors in the areas of:
- Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption
- Risk Management
- Corporate Intelligence
- Integrity Due Diligence
- Fraud Risk Investigations
- Fraud and White Collar Crime
- Insurance Fraud Investigations
- Corporate Security and Investigations
- Business Intelligence and Investigations
- Skip Tracing and Debt Collections
- Intellectual Property Investigations
- AML
- Employment Screening and Background Investigations
