Why join?

The concept of a multi-stakeholder initiative seems straightforward, however, it is not a common practice in a lot of countries. Combining the strength of partners from the private and public sector, and educational and civil society institutions makes the initiative a potent concept. Inviting multiple stakeholders to the process ensures that it is not dominated by one perspective and therefore enables a constructive debate. Every stakeholder brings its own unique view which encourages an open debate that is not fixated on criticizing the other parties that are involved. In addition, the initiative inspires stakeholders to critically think about their own contribution to the Week of Integrity. All in all, this constructive strategy allows for an understanding to be reached between the stakeholders which in turn leads to definitive action for a positive change in society.

How to get started

We are looking forward to welcoming more countries to join the Week of Integrity network. We recommend every interested party to contact us if they want to start to raise awareness on the importance of integrity. The Week of Integrity is an multi-stakeholder initiative so it is important for every interested party to reach out to a diverse group of actors when starting the process. The initiative could start off small but grow in size after more interested parties join the process, and start to share their thoughts on ethical behavior and what integrity means to them.

About the initiator

The promotion of integrity and the debate about ethical standards requires a multi-stakeholder approach. Convinced of the power of combined forces, the first Week of Integrity was held in the Netherlands in 2016. It was initiated by ICC Netherlands, with its vast network in the private and the public sector, civil society and education, and immediately gained a lot of interest. Since 2016, the amount of partners has grown to 90 since 2016. To promote further thinking and inspire society, three Integrity books have been successfully published as well. In the Integrity books, experts from various backgrounds share their insights and views on topics related to integrity. Please take a look at the Integrity book webpage to freely download the books.

ICC Netherlands’ innovative multi-stakeholder initiative has received widespread appreciation from both the private and the public sector, including that of the G20 Anti-bribery Working group where the initiative was presented as inspiration to others (Mexico, May 2018). The Week of Integrity Foundation was established in order to assure the continuity of the initiative and to emphasize its multi-stakeholder character. In the meantime, the number of countries showing interest in the adoption of the concept continues to rise which gives the initiators great pleasure and inspiration to continue to build a network of individuals and organisations committed to a more honest, fair and transparent world, even across borders.

ICC is the world business organization and has a history of fighting corruption and promoting awareness; from the ‘70’s on, it has taken the lead in the enhancement and the implementation of integrity in cross-border business transactions. It does so through developing measures and standards, as well as through preventive information provision and the organization of training-sessions for both companies and government organizations. ICC equally represents industry in international anti-corruption initiatives in front of organizations such as the OECD and the UN. In short, the ICC has an exemplary role to fulfill when it comes to anti-corruption and integrity.