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* ISO 37001 introduction by CYS in September *
By Pambos Kammas, MBA
Cypriot society has always been plagued by bribery phenomena of all sort, most of which have not emerged to the surface, resulting serious offences of corruption. In the era of media and information, it is difficult to ignore, unfortunately, some major examples of our time that led to well-known local political and social leaders ending up in court or even in jail.
The phenomenon of bribery is, of course, not unique to Cyprus. Such international scandals have emerged in the past in Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, the US, Saudi Arabia and beyond. Figures issued by the World Bank suggest that $1 trillion in bribes are paid yearly all around the world.
As far as the legal aspect is concerned, there is the “UN Convention Against Corruption” which has been endorsed by Cyprus since 2003. The government of the Republic adopted all its clauses and included them in national legislation.
In the voluntary level of standards, the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), only last October issued the international standard ISO 37001 for the “Anti-Bribery Management System”. The standard was written in a manner which is compatible with the other world level management system standards, e.g. quality management systems ISO 9001, environmental management systems ISO 14001 etc., and it is also certifiable.
Due to the brief timeframe after its release, examples of application of the standard are still scarce. There is evidence that in the United States and Italy national accreditation bodies have started receiving applications from well-known certification bodies to audit and issue valid certificates to interested companies and organisations.
In our neighbouring Israel, where trade with US companies dominates, the adoption of the standard and certification is a prerequisite before new trade agreements are signed. Moreover, certification starts swiftly at first by the Israeli government and then spreads into the private sector.
In France, national legislation requires the undertaking of preventative measures to combat bribery as presumption of conformity on the basis of voluntary standards. In the UK and the US, accused companies and organisations are invited to prove that they have taken all necessary precautionary measures that could avoid the occurrence of the phenomenon of bribery. Thus, the spread of ISO 37001 and anti-bribery management system certification as proof of compliance is soon expected to rise globally. The market eventually is expected to request as a prerequisite for the signing of new trade agreements or tenderers in public procurement, the certification against the standard.
In Cyprus, the Cyprus Organisation for Standardisation (CYS), within its remit for dissemination of voluntary standards in society, launched an action plan for this standard awareness into public services and the private sector at the highest level. The response from stakeholders was very positive and in some cases they expressed their readiness for immediate implementation of the standard in the public administration as well as by private enterprises and organisations.
Moreover, there was a broad desire to adopt the international standard at a national level, as an indication of its visibility and acceptance by the local society. At a time that coincides with the preparation of the “National Anti-Corruption Strategy” by the Ministry of Justice and Public Order and simultaneously the preparation of relevant bills for adoption by the House, the international standard ISO 37001 appears as a valuable tool for the administration and prevention of corruption.
With a view to shedding light on the rationale of the market needs, which the standard addresses, provisions and requirements for the interested companies, public services and agencies, CYS is hosting a free entry event on the International Standard ISO 37001 entitled “Anti-Bribery Management System: An Effective Anti-Corruption Tool” to be held on September 14 at the Bank of Cyprus HQ building in Nicosia,.
The Chairman of the Standardisation Technical Committee for the issuing of the International Standard ISO 37001, Neil Stansbury, has been invited as the guest speaker, while the event is being held under the auspices of the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Ionas Nicolaou.
Bank of Cyprus as the major sponsor of the event, will present “Good Practice of Application of the International Standard ISO 37001” and a representative of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order will present the National Strategy against Corruption.
Sponsorship of the event has been offered by PwC, while several private sector stakeholders, independent public services and governmental departments are supporting the event.
Forms of participation and information material are available and interested parties may obtain them from the CYS offices, (tel.: 22411411), from the CYS website, the social media and organisations supporting the event.
Pambos Kammas, MBA, is Director of Standardisation at the Cyprus Organisation for Standardisation, CYS
