APPENDIX 14
Memorandum submitted by the International
Chamber of Commerce
I would like to thank you for your letter dated
19 December 2000 concerning the current inquiry of the International
Development Committee into the impact of corruption on development
and developing countries.
ICC's Standing Committee on Extortion and Bribery's
aim is to encourage self-regulation by business in confronting
issues of extortion and bribery, and to work together with international
organisations to develop conventions to fight corruption.
ICC has recently revised its Rules of Conduct
on Extortion and Bribery in International Business Transactions
(see attachment[137]).
As you will see from the attached article[138]
which appeared in "No Longer Business as Usual" (OECD,
2000) ICC's efforts to combat corruption date back more than 20
years. The ICC Rules clearly prohibit bribery for any purpose.
By addressing not only bribery of foreign public officials, but
also commercial "private-to-private" bribery, the ICC
Rules go even a step further than the OECD Convention. To accompany
these rules and also to provide guidance for compliance with the
OECD Convention, ICC published in 1999 "Fighting Bribery:
A Corporate Practices Manual".
ICC is currently conducting a study of measures
to curb private bribery which will be presented to OECD. The Study
will identify the principal areas in which private bribery operates,
and review the instruments that governments currently use to deter
and combat it. The Study will also determine the effectiveness
of civil remedies to recover damages caused by private bribery
and will evaluate effectiveness of self-regulation measures that
business has created to curb these practices.
The Study will comprise a factual survey of
private sector bribery to identify major areas of concern and
a legal survey of measures currently available to control private
sector bribery. The findings will be used to develop recommendations
for action by government and business to combat private sector
bribery more effectively.
Mathias Hirsch
Policy Manger, Standing Committee on Extortion
and Bribery
International Chamber of Commerce
February 2001
137 Not printed. Available at hhtp://www.iccwbo.org/home/statements-rules/rules/1999. Back
138
Not printed. Back
| 
