Tripoli, Libya - 23 March 2022
Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that affects all countries and societies. It does not only affect and concern the government, but also the private sector. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is the only legally binding international anti-corruption treaty, which addresses corruption in a comprehensive way with specific provisions for preventing corruption within the private sector.
Libya is part of a UNODC project which aims at strengthening the private sector's capacities to prevent and counter corruption. Under the project, UNODC organized, in collaboration with the Financial Information Unit (FIU) and the Ministry of Economy and Industry of Libya, a workshop for Libyan Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on “Integrity Standards and Corruption Risk Assessment in the Private Sector” with the participation of 14 representatives from Libyan SMEs, the FIU, the Ministry of Economy and Industry, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
During the workshop, the participants were introduced to the international framework for promoting integrity in the private sector, the impact of corruption on the private sector and its most common forms, Compliance Programmes and their internal and external measurement, and defining the internal controls with examples such as preventive and investigative. Furthermore, the sessions included methods of corruption risk identification, analysis and assessment. The workshop provided a platform for the representatives from SMEs, FIU, MOE to discuss the challenges they face with the national concerned authorities and share ideas and knowledge on countering corruption and promoting integrity.
These workshops were held within the framework of the project “Strengthening the Private Sector Capacity to Prevent Corruption and Enhance Integrity in the Arab Countries”, funded by Siemens Integrity Initiative and being implemented by UNODC in six Arab countries; Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Morocco, Sudan and the UAE.
For more information:
Egypt: Preventing Corruption and Enhancing Integrity within the Private Sector
UNODC’s Anti-Corruption Ethics and Compliance Programme for Business: A Practical Guide