Anti-corruption project for Egypt
A multi-year anti-corruption collective action initiative was launched at a recent Anti-Corruption Policy Dialogue and Collective Action Seminar, “The Role of Companies in Fighting Corruption in Egypt”, held in Cairo. The seminar brought together 200 government officials, members of parliament, business leaders and other experts from Egypt and international organisations.
A joint project of the Egyptian Junior Business Association (EJB) and the United Nations Global Compact, the new initiative aims to promote collective action as a mechanism to address corruption risks affecting businesses in the country. In order to create enabling environments for anti-corruption, the project will convene a series of public-private dialogues to seek a range of stakeholders’ input toward developing methodology and compliance programmes for small and medium enterprises.
The project will work closely with the Ministry of Administrative Development and the Ministry of Trade and Industry to enhance tendering and procurement processes. A series of workshops are being organised to develop a set of recommendations conveying
the private sector’s perspectives to these government ministries. By the end of this year, the project aims to launch a business-led coalition, the Egyptian National Integrity Network, to facilitate these efforts.
“Dismantling corruption is on the priority list of every Egyptian seeing Egypt assuming its rightful place amongst great nations,” said Eng. Omar Sabbour, Chair of the Egyptian Junior Business Association. “I hope the collective action project we are embarking on with the UN Global Compact will make a contribution to advancing the anti-corruption agenda in the private sector.”
The launch built upon a series of anti-corruption events organised and supported by the EJB.
A recent business round table convened 70 top executives from different industry sectors (tourism, construction, energy, research and education, real estate, and information technology) who identified sector-specific corruption challenges.
The EJB also co-organised a multi-stakeholder consultation in March, when participants discussed ways to better utilise public-private dialogue in the fight against corruption.
