Basel Institute on Governance

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Basel Institute on Governance
Formation2003
Founder Mark Pieth
Type NGO
Legal statusSwiss foundation
PurposeAnti-corruption and governance
Headquarters Basel, Switzerland
Region
Global
Managing Director
Gretta Fenner
President
Peter Maurer
Website www.baselgovernance.org

The Basel Institute on Governance is an independent, international non-profit organisation dedicated to preventing and combating corruption and other financial crimes and to strengthening governance around the world. The organisation was established in Basel, Switzerland in 2003 by Professor Mark Pieth.

Contents

It has a regional office for Latin America in Lima, Peru, and field staff based in several countries including in Indonesia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Basel Institute is an Associated Institute of the University of Basel. [1] It is an Institute of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme Network. [2]

It is known for producing the Basel AML Index, [3] an annual ranking for measuring and comparing countries' risk of money laundering and terrorist financing.

Structure and activities

The Basel Institute is registered as a Swiss foundation. It has over 100 staff (as of 2021). [4]

The organisation's activities are overseen by a Foundation Board comprising prominent experts in the fields of anti-corruption and law, from both the private sector and academia. [5] The President of the Board is Peter Maurer [6] and the Vice-President is Anne Peters. [7]

The Institute works with the public, private and non-governmental sectors through its various divisions and international centres of excellence in asset recovery.

International Centre for Asset Recovery

The Basel Institute's International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) assists partner countries in a broad spectrum of asset recovery matters with the primary aim of building the capacity of the country's institutions to trace and recover corruptly acquired assets from abroad. [8]

It provides intensive training courses to law enforcement, financial investigators, prosecutors and the judiciary of partner countries in topics including financial investigation, mutual legal assistance, interviewing skills for investigators and money laundering using Bitcoin. [9]

The centre also provides technical assistance on cases and legal matters in partner countries, as well as support for policy reform. It has also published an open-access book on illicit enrichment laws that target unexplained wealth, with an accompanying database of laws and guidance on proving illicit enrichment cases in court. The book is available for free in English, Spanish and French.

Core donors to ICAR are the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, [10] the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, [11] the Principality of Liechtenstein, [12] the Government of Jersey [13] and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. [14]

Private Sector engagement

The Basel Institute supports companies and multi-stakeholder groups with advice on anti-corruption Collective Action initiatives. [15] It hosts the B20 Collective Action Hub, [16] an online platform for anti-corruption Collective Action resources under a mandate from the B20 group of global business leaders.

Among other initiatives, the Basel Institute has collaborated with the OECD and Transparency International to develop the High Level Reporting Mechanism, [17] an independent mechanism to quickly resolve alerts about suspected acts of corruption in public procurement projects. It is actively engaged in research and support for other Collective Action tools such as integrity pacts with the aim of making anti-corruption Collective Action a global compliance norm.

The Siemens Integrity Initiative, a USD100 million-dollar fund created by Siemens to fight corruption and fraud through Collective Action, education and training, has supported the Basel Institute's Collective Action work with multi-year grants in all three of its funding rounds. [18] Additional funding partners in the past and present include the Global Fund [19] and the KBA NotaSys Integrity Fund. [20]

In addition, the Basel Institute's Compliance specialists provide advice on anti-corruption compliance and crisis management for companies and other organisations. A notable mandate in this field was Mark Pieth's appointment in November 2011 as chairman of the Independent Governance Committee tasked with overseeing improvements to governance and transparency of FIFA. [21]

Public Governance research

The Basel Institute's Public Governance team conducts research on the root causes of corruption, develops evidence-based anti-corruption approaches and provides training and assessments on relevant political and social aspects.

It is known in particular for its work on social norms and informal governance structures that facilitate corrupt practices. [22] Current research in these areas includes two major projects under the DFID-funded "Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme" [23] on addressing bribery in the Tanzanian health sector: a behavioural approach [24] and harnessing informality: Designing anti-corruption network interventions and strategic use of legal instruments. [25]

Public Finance Management

Through the Basel Institute’s regional office in Peru, a team of specialists provides comprehensive support to 11 Peruvian local and regional governments to generate more effective, efficient and transparent use of public funds. [26] The programme is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs through its economic cooperation and development programme in Peru [27] and was extended for a second four-year term in December 2019. [28]

Green Corruption programme

The Basel Institute implements a programme of work focused on applying anti-corruption and governance tools to environmental crimes including the illegal wildlife trade. As part of this effort, the Basel Institute partnered with the OECD on a series of public-private dialogues on topics of environmental crime, corruption and illicit trade. [29]

Digital tools

The Basel Institute develops and maintains several digital tools to support anti-corruption compliance, financial investigation and policy decisions. The tools are projects of the International Centre for Asset Recovery and are designed for use by public and private sector actors as well as policymakers and academia.

Related Research Articles

Transparency International e.V. (TI) is a German registered association founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Based in Berlin, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil societal anti-corruption measures and to prevent criminal activities arising from corruption. Its most notable publications include the Global Corruption Barometer and the Corruption Perceptions Index. Transparency International serves as an umbrella organization. From 1993 to today, its membership has grown from a few individuals to more than 100 national chapters, which engage in fighting perceived corruption in their home countries. TI is a member of G20 Think Tanks, UNESCO Consultative Status, United Nations Global Compact, Sustainable Development Solutions Network and shares the goals of peace, justice, strong institutions and partnerships of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). TI is a social partner of Global Alliance in Management Education. TI confirmed the dis-accreditation of the national chapter of United States of America in 2017.

In general, compliance means conforming to a rule, such as a specification, policy, standard or law. Compliance has traditionally been explained by reference to the deterrence theory, according to which punishing a behavior will decrease the violations both by the wrongdoer and by others. This view has been supported by economic theory, which has framed punishment in terms of costs and has explained compliance in terms of a cost-benefit equilibrium. However, psychological research on motivation provides an alternative view: granting rewards or imposing fines for a certain behavior is a form of extrinsic motivation that weakens intrinsic motivation and ultimately undermines compliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Financial Action Task Force</span> Intergovernmental organization to combat money laundering and terrorism financing

The Financial Action Task Force (on Money Laundering) ('FATF, aka "Fatfee"), also known by its French name, Groupe d'action financière (GAFI), is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering and to maintain certain interest. In 2001, its mandate was expanded to include terrorism financing.

Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) is an Australian government financial intelligence agency responsible for monitoring financial transactions to identify money laundering, organised crime, tax evasion, welfare fraud and terrorism financing. AUSTRAC was established in 1989 under the Financial Transaction Reports Act 1988. It implements in Australia the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), which Australia joined in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance</span> Sweden-based intergovernmental organization

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance is an intergovernmental organization that works to support and strengthen democratic institutions and processes around the world, to develop sustainable, effective and legitimate democracies. It has regional offices in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, Africa and West Asia, and North America. The organization is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Financial crime</span> Crime against property

Financial crime is crime committed against property, involving the unlawful conversion of the ownership of property to one's own personal use and benefit. Financial crimes may involve fraud ; theft; scams or confidence tricks; tax evasion; bribery; sedition; embezzlement; identity theft; money laundering; and forgery and counterfeiting, including the production of counterfeit money and consumer goods.

In financial regulation, a politically exposed person (PEP) is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public function. A PEP generally presents a higher risk for potential involvement in bribery and corruption by virtue of their position and the influence they may hold. The terms "politically exposed person" and senior foreign political figure are often used interchangeably, particularly in international forums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering</span> Inter-governmental organisation against serious financial crime

The Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) is a FATF style regional inter-governmental (international) body, the members of which are committed to effectively implementing the international standards against money laundering, the combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) and financing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. APG was founded in 1997 in Bangkok, Thailand, and currently consists of 42 member jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region and a number of observer jurisdictions and international/regional observer organisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International asset recovery</span> Any effort by governments to repatriate the proceeds of corruption hidden in foreign jurisdictions

International asset recovery is any effort by governments to repatriate the proceeds of corruption hidden in foreign jurisdictions. Such assets may include monies in bank accounts, real estate, vehicles, arts and artifacts, and precious metals. As defined under the United Nations Convention against Corruption, asset recovery refers to recovering the proceeds of corruption, rather than broader terms such as asset confiscation or asset forfeiture which refer to recovering the proceeds or instrumentalities of crime in general.

The World Justice Project (WJP) is an international civil society organization with the stated mission of "working to advance the rule of law around the world". It produces the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, a quantitative assessment tool that shows the extent to which countries adhere to the rule of law in practice. WJP's major activity is the World Justice Forum, a global gathering at which prominent leaders from all parts of the world and a variety of disciplines come together to articulate how the rule of law affects their disciplines and regions and to develop collaborative actions to strengthen the rule of law.

The International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) is a series of international conferences organised by the IACC Council, in association with local governments and organisations, with Transparency International as its secretariat. The conference was first held in 1983 in Washington D.C.,and the New York City Department of Investigation and has since been held every two years in a different country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moneyval</span>

MONEYVAL is the official denomination of the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism. It is a permanent monitoring body of the Council of Europe with 35 member states and jurisdictions out of which 32 are assessed exclusively by MONEYVAL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfsberg Group</span>

The Wolfsberg Group is a non-governmental association of thirteen global banks. It started as a meeting of banks in 1999 who adopted a number of best practice standards under the name Wolfsberg Principles. On 22 September 2021 the association under Swiss law under the name "The Wolfsberg Group" was founded in Basel.

The Qatar Financial Information Unit (QFIU) is a Qatari government regulatory agency responsible for financial intelligence efforts to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism. Like other national Financial Intelligence Units (FIU) around the world, it requires banks, investment companies, insurers and other financial institutions to report suspicious financial transactions. QFIU then analyzes the information and disseminates the relevant data to law enforcement authorities for further investigation and action.

An integrity pact is a multi-party agreement by a public body seeking to procure goods and services of significant value. As a tool for preventing corruption in public contracting, companies interested in bidding to supply the goods and services give a third party organisation, such as a civil society organisation, a role in monitoring compliance with the pact.

ISO 37001Anti-bribery management systems - Requirements with guidance for use, is a management system standard published by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2016. As the title suggests, this standard sets out the requirements for the establishment, implementation, operation, maintenance, and continual improvement of an anti-bribery management system (ABMS). It also provides guidance on the actions and approaches organizations can take to adhere to the requirements of this standard.

Anti-corruption comprises activities that oppose or inhibit corruption. Just as corruption takes many forms, anti-corruption efforts vary in scope and in strategy. A general distinction between preventive and reactive measures is sometimes drawn. In such framework, investigative authorities and their attempts to unveil corrupt practices would be considered reactive, while education on the negative impact of corruption, or firm-internal compliance programs are classified as the former.

Mark Pieth is Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Basel, Switzerland and a prominent anti-corruption expert.

Maritime anti-corruption initiatives have emerged in the last decades as a response to the growing threat of transnational corruption in the maritime domain, specifically in the shipping industry which is responsible for around 90% of world trade. In the past, paying bribes at ports to pass through customs was perceived as normal behavior, but such activities resulting in higher operational costs lead to increasingly stricter national and international anti-corruption regulations being put in place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Money Laundering Improvement Act</span> United States antimony laundering law

The Anti-Money Laundering Improvement Act (AML) is a collection of regulations and laws in the United States aimed at combating money laundering and terrorist financing. The act builds upon the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the first anti-money laundering enforcement law.

References

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