Business at OECD (BIAC) and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) are proud to present one of the first practical guides to help companies leverage potential synergies between the human rights and anti-corruption agendas. Have a look at the full publication for more information.

Business at OECD (BIAC) shares the view of the OECD that necessary containment and other measures were key in slowing the spread of infections and savings lives, but resulted in significant economic disruption and job losses, alongside stark falls in economic sentiment and tighter financial conditions. As our 2020 Economic Policy Survey released in May shows, the share of business federations which perceive the business climate as weak or very weak increased from 16% in 2019 to a staggering 95%, a level never seen before.

This year starts with an important call from global business to the OECD: it is imperative that Business at OECD and the OECD work together to deliver a positive narrative on people-first policies for globalization in the digital age. Our recommendations are a focused selection of suggested solutions to empower people and bridge divides. We look forward to our strengthened collaboration with the OECD across Directorates, their related bodies, and our business committees in all the countries that actively liaise with them.

While all agenda items are important, Business at OECD would like to provide specific comments on the following topics: Enhancing and incentivizing compliance, taking into account the needs of SMEs, addressing the demand side of foreign bribery, fostering integrity in SOEs, and non-trial solutions of foreign bribery cases.

Drawing on the practical experience of a wide and regionally diverse business constituency, this paper provides Business at OECD’s considered assessment of priority issues that need to be addressed to get trade back on track. As such, we strongly encourage the OECD to examine these priorities as part of its trade agenda in 2021-22 and beyond.