Corruption undermines every area of society, including national security, economic growth, human rights, employment and the environment. As money is deflected away from where it is needed most, spending on essential sectors such as education and health tends to suffer, leading to poorer living conditions. Yet, much can be done and, on this International Anti-Corruption Day, celebrated on 9 December each year, ISO is pleased to announce that work is underway on standards to help.

The future ISO 37000, Guidance for the governance of organizations, provides a framework to guide governing bodies and groups on how to meet their responsibilities. In doing so, it helps them improve performance across a wide range of areas and promote good organizational culture.

A key element of good governance is having a safe and confidential way for employees to report concerns related to wrongdoing. The upcoming ISO 37002, Whistleblowing management systems – Guidelines, provides guidelines for implementing, managing, evaluating, maintaining and improving a robust and effective management system for whistleblowing. It is non-sector-specific and can be used by organizations of all sizes, including SMEs, as well as those with international operations.

At the same time, an organization which can demonstrate that it complies with all relevant laws, regulatory requirements, industry codes and voluntary standards reassures stakeholders that it has put in place measures to prevent or reduce the risk of corruption. Soon to be published, ISO 37301, Compliance management systems – Requirements with guidance for use, outlines everything an organization needs to know to do just that.

These new standards will complement the existing ISO 37001, Anti-bribery management systems – Requirements with guidance for use, which helps organizations combat bribery both in their own operations and throughout their value chains

Together, these new International Standards for governance, compliance and whistleblowing will significantly contribute to the war against corruption across the world.

For more information visit the ISO website.