It is estimated that globally, over $1.5 trillion in bribes changes hands every year. Apart from the negative economic impact, bribery also impacts the whole society as it undermines trust, leads to unfairness, creates inequality, and stifles motivation. ISO joined the global fight against bribery by developing ISO 37001, an international standard that sets out the requirements for an anti-bribery management system (ABMS).
Published in 2016 as a Type A management system standard (MSS), ISO 37001 specifies the requirements and provides guidance for the establishment, implementation, monitoring, maintenance, and continual improvement of an ABMS.
An ABMS based on ISO 37001 is intended to help organizations effectively prevent, detect, and respond to bribery. Other forms of corruption, such as fraud, are not covered by the standard. The requirements of the standard are generic and applicable to all organizations, regardless of their type, size, and sector (public, private, or not-for-profit). Furthermore, ISO 37001 can be used to tackle bribery by or of the organization as well as direct and indirect bribery.
ISO 37001 follows the High-Level Structure (HLS) and shares the common terminology with other management system standards developed by ISO. This means that an ABMS can either be established as a stand-alone management system, be part of an overall compliance management system based on ISO 37301, or be integrated with other management systems based on standards such as ISO 37002, ISO 9001, and ISO 45001.
Implementing an ABMS based on ISO 37001 can be a good strategic decision to demonstrate an organization’s commitment to effectively prevent, detect, and respond to bribery. Organizations seeking an effective ABMS will have to demonstrate their commitment to prevent bribery by establishing policies, procedures, and controls which contribute in reducing bribery risks. Nevertheless, the requirements of ISO 37001 are generic; therefore, organizations will have plenty of freedom to establish an ABMS which best suits their needs.
Some of the benefits that organizations would obtain by implementing an ABMS based on ISO 37001 include:
As a global provider of training, examination, and certification services, PECB will help you become a successful anti-bribery consultant, auditor, or implementation/auditing team member.
Join the global fight against bribery!
Internationally recognized, PECB certifications represent peer recognition and demonstrate your professional capabilities. Our ISO 37001 Lead Auditor and ISO 37001 Lead Implementer certificates are accredited by IAS. The IAS Accreditation Mark provides additional value to the certificate and allows you to capitalize on the worldwide recognition that IAS holds.
You can find other resources on anti-bribery and ISO 37001 by PECB below:
Obtain a clause-by-clause overview of ISO 37001 requirements for an ABMS
Acquire the necessary competencies to guide and support organizations to establish, implement, operate, maintain, and continually improve an ABMS based on ISO 37001
Develop the competencies to audit an ABMS against the criteria established by ISO 37001, based on the guidelines of ISO 19011 and requirements of ISO/IEC 17021-1