Dear TIPS Member,
In March 2024, TI-UK launched a new report, titled ‘Investing with Integrity II: How Corruption Undermines Environmental and Social Outcomes’. This new guidance document explores the main ways corruption can severely undermine environmental and social outcomes in impact investing. Some key takeaways include the following:
Impact investors are not fully considering or managing corruption risk which can lead to serious financial and reputational issues.
Corruption contributes to or exacerbates environmental and social (E&S) risks that impact investors try to minimise. For example, a company that bribes a local authority to avoid complying with environmental or social laws or regulations undermines the objectives of impact investing. There are well-documented cases of bribery and corruption facilitating illegal logging, human rights abuses, pollution and land grabs.
To address this risk, TI-UK advocates for a carefully coordinated approach across business integrity, environmental and social risk management.
Please see below the TIPS Newsletter for March 2024. We look forward to seeing you soon.
- the TIPS team
1. Upcoming Events (register on our Events page)
TIPS | UK Anti-corruption legislation: a two-decade journey | 30 April 2024, 7-8pm BST
How to trace complex forms of ownership and control of assets related to ‘kleptocrats’ and sanctioned entities | 8 April 2024, 11.30-4.45pm BST
Spotlight on Sport and Human Rights | 18 April 2024, 5-6.30pm BST
Using GenAI to unlock Government open data | 7 May 2024, 6-8pm BST
2. Recent events
TIPS Anniversary Event | Trust and Transparency: Building Ethical frameworks for Tech-Driven Governance
On Tuesday 26 March, the TIPS Network hosted its 6th Anniversary event with panellists Aida Ndiaye (Meta), Jonathan Armstrong (Fordham University School of Law) and Roxana Bratu (Kings College London). Some key topics included rethinking corruption definitions in light of new technologies, focussing on the right datasets so that AI can mitigate bias, and considering principles-based regulation to reduce risk. The panel also discussed how there are roles for a range of stakeholders to be part of the solution – from the private sector, law and policy-makers to academics and NGOs.
We thank our panellists and TIPS Events Lead Sofia Tirini who moderated the event, for sharing their insightful reflections in the lively debate. Lastly thank you to the rest of the TIPS committee and membership for your support and to Access Partnership for generously hosting!
3. Jobs Board
4. Items of Interest
TI Publications
TI blogs.
When is modernising Gibraltar’s laws a bad idea? When it appears driven by major conflicts of interest. See here.
The U.S. Foreign Extortion Prevention Act: A New Tool in the Fight Against Global Corruption. See here.
TI encourage full and fair investigation of former Bangladeshi Land Minister’s Overseas Property Empire. See here.
OECD Anti-bribery Convention at 25: Time to Step Up Enforcement. See here.
Podcasts.
Other items.
US Justice Department does what Mongolia’s Government wouldn’t. See here.
Uncensored: the Kyrgyzstan Project. See here.
Anti-Corruption and Integrity Outlook 2024. See here.
Model open government partnership commitments to fight kleptocracy. See here.
UK and United States announce partnership on science of AI safety. See here.
OECD: Public Integrity Indicators. See here.
UNCAC CoSP10 sets a new record with attention to gender to anti-corruption resolutions. See here.
The UK’s Economic Crime Plan 2: Progress, Pitfalls and Prospects. See here.
5. One Minute Reads
New One Minute Reads have been uploaded to the TIPS website. Please do click the link to read more – perfect for your morning/evening WFH coffee break!
6. Support TI-UK directly by joining Friends of TI-UK!
As a friend of TI-UK you will receive updates from TI-UK directly about TI-UK's ground-breaking research & advocacy campaigns. Your subscription will also support TI-UK's ongoing work across the UK, Business, Health, Defence & Security initiatives. Find out more here.
7. TIPS Mentorship Programme 2024
Applications for the TIPS Mentorship Programme 2024 are now open!
Are you a student or young professional? Do you have, or know someone with, an interest in the legal and compliance sectors and anti-corruption work in service of transparency? If your answer is ‘yes’, the TIPS Network’s mentorship programme may be your next step!
Through the programme, TIPS will match mentees with mentors based on past experience and future goals to introduce them to the wide variety of work in the field. Mentees will have the opportunity to interact with their own and other mentors and mentees from a range of backgrounds.
This includes a minimum three-month programme of regular mentoring communication with your mentor (led by the mentee) to:
· Set and refine goals with your mentor.
· See your mentor in-person at a TIPS event.
· Develop a future professional network with the rest of the TIPS community.
Applications are open until April 19th 2024, please apply here and note that we are taking applications on a selective basis. If you are interested in mentoring, get in touch with Reecha Patel or another TIPS committee member to volunteer as a mentor.
TIPS Mentee Testimonial | Rodolfo Padilla Torres
“As a proud part of the TIPS Network mentorship programme, I gained valuable insights from esteemed senior specialists in the global Anti-Corruption field. The programme has instilled in me the confidence and conviction to take on real-world challenges
and make a significant impact”.
