CoST, the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative, has joined the OECD led and US State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) supported, Global Initiative to Galvanise the Private Sector as Partners in Combating Corruption (GPS).

CoST will work closely with the OECD to develop and implement the Infrastructure Anti-Corruption Toolbox (I ACT). This will include developing tools and standards to assist stakeholders to better understand and mitigate corruption risks. It will also involve promoting existing good practice.

The GPS is premised on the understanding that ‘the private sector is an under-leveraged and under-served potential partner in combating corruption.’ CoST recognises this and it has worked for over a decade to mobilise the private sector at the national and international levels.

CoST members for example establish multistakeholder groups (MSGs) that include business associations and industry bodies. And at the international, it works closely with the Federation of International Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) and the Confederation of International Contractor Associations (CICA) to ensure that the private sector perspective is at the heart of its decision-making.

CoST’s involvement in the GPS will kick off at this week’s OECD Global Integrity and Anti-Corruption Forum (GACIF) where it will host a knowledge partner session that will showcase examples of successful public, private dialogues from Uganda and Ukraine. The session to be held on Wednesday 27 March at 14.30, will also identify a range of integrity risks and examples of measures used to galvanise the private sector as partners in tackling corruption and inefficiency.

CoST Executive Director Petter Matthews said: “We are pleased to be joining forces with the OECD and INL to bring in the private sector as critical actors in the fight against corruption. The GPS has huge potential to level the playing field for businesses operating with integrity and to improve the international business climate.”