Courtesy: ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery management systems
The standard was developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 309, chaired by lawyer Neill Stansbury, and published for the first time on October 15, 2016. The standard was based upon existing guidance from the International Chamber of Commerce, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Transparency International, and other organizations. The standard also incorporated guidance issued by leading international regulators such as the US Department of Justice, US Securities and Exchange Commission, and UK Ministry of Justice.
The standard was adopted by the governments of Singapore and Peru for their anti-bribery management systems, and formed the basis for the “Shenzhen Standard”, an official anti-bribery standard published by the city of Shenzhen, China in June 2017. Microsoft and Walmart have also announced intentions to obtain ISO 37001 certification
Main requirements of the standard
The ISO 37001:2016 adopts the “ISO High Level Structure (HSL)” in 10 main clauses in the following breakdown:
- 1 Scope
- 2 Normative references
- 3 Terms and definitions
- 4 Context of the organization
- 5 Leadership
- 6 Planning
- 7 Support
- 8 Operation
- 9 Performance evaluation
- 10 Improvement
The standard only addresses management systems and is not a comprehensive anti-fraud or anti-corruption standard. It also contains a great deal of subjectivity as many requirements are qualified by terms such as “appropriate” and “reasonable”. Therefore, the actual meaning and relevance of ISO 37001 certification is dependent largely upon the thoroughness of the certifying body.
It’s the International Standard that allows organizations of all types to prevent, detect and address bribery by adopting an anti-bribery policy, appointing a person to oversee anti-bribery compliance, training, risk assessments and due diligence on projects and business associates, implementing financial and commercial controls, and instituting reporting and investigation procedures.
Providing a globally recognized way to address a destructive criminal activity that turns over a trillion dollars of dirty money each year, ISO 37001 addresses one of the world’s most destructive and challenging issues head-on, and demonstrates a committed approach to stamping out corruption.