International engineering federation FIDIC (the International Federation of Consulting Engineers) says that corruption is and remains a global issue for the infrastructure sector and the risks it poses to the sustainability and integrity of the companies and the sectors in which FIDIC members operate are real and need to be combatted and addressed at every opportunity.
FIDIC made the claims in its latest State of the World report, Corruption, its effects and the need to take action: Has the world learnt anything in the last decade? which was launched today on the UN’s International Anti-Corruption Day. The report is the seventh in the series of landmark FIDIC publications on the key infrastructure issues facing the world. The report explores the key issues and initiates a new phase of work to combat corruption following a change that was made to FIDIC’s statutes and by-laws to promote more widely its compliance with a code of ethics and integrity in business to combating and condemning bribery and corruption and promoting ethics, integrity and transparency in the industry.
The report outlines detailed figures on the effects of corruption, considers new relationships between economic, industry and foreign direct investment flows, the perceptions of corruption and also looks at data collected over the last decade across many countries and asks the crucial question: “How has the fight against corruption gone and are we really combating it?”
In the report, Corruption, its effects and the need to take action: Has the world learnt anything in the last decade? FIDIC makes four key commitments help the global construction industry tackle and address corruption. They are: –
- That FIDIC will work with organisations such as Transparency International, MDBs and via its communications platforms to monitor and provide updates on the analysis the report has highlighted.
- FIDIC will ensure that its tools to help the sector reduce corruption continue to adapt and become more sophisticated to identify corruption in its many forms.
- FIDIC to urge all its stakeholders to use the UN’s annual International Anti-Corruption Day as a meaningful check-in point to review key activities, successes and challenges rather than simply an annual recognition that something needs to be done to prevent corruption.
- FIDIC will bring anti-corruption to the attention of global leaders through its Global Leadership Forum grouping and by exploring holding an annual Anti-Corruption Summit to bring key stakeholders together across the engineering, construction and infrastructure industry.
FIDIC CEO Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE said: “Recognising and reporting corruption and corrupt conduct will facilitate its demise. It also brings with it the opportunity to reduce inefficiency and improve the value that is gained with money that is invested in good quality, sustainable infrastructure, helping to fill the significant funding gap that currently exists globally. However, we cannot be complacent or rest on our laurels and that is why we have launched this report today.”
FIDIC president Tony Barry said: “To combat corruption, we need to continue to expose it and improving transparency and understanding is a key tool in this battle. This report explores not only the link between corruption and economic activity, but also activity at an industry level and even considers net foreign direct investment flows.
“Consistent with its core value of integrity and corresponding long-standing commitment to integrity management via its publications and member associations, FIDIC is using this report to place in full view of the sector the effects of corrupt behaviour and we will going forward adapt our tools, mechanisms and guidance to combat a persistent and an ever-evolving issue.”
You can download the FIDIC State of the World report, Corruption, its effects and the need to take action: Has the world learnt anything in the last decade? at https://fidic.org/sites/default/files/SOTW_2022_Corruption_Report_FINAL_.pdf
FIDIC, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, is the global representative body for national associations of consulting engineers and represents over one million engineering professionals and 40,000 firms in more than 100 countries worldwide. The buildings and infrastructure sector in which FIDIC members work contributes around US$36trillion to global GDP.
