Current phase of IBLF Global's cooperation with the UNDP comes to an end

1 June 2022

For the past two and half years, IBLF Global cooperated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its FairBiz project - Promoting a Fair Business Environment in ASEAN, in furthering business integrity, and economic and social growth in the region.

Highlights, during this experience, included the trainings for SMEs in multinationals’ supply chains in Malaysia, for women-led enterprises in Thailand and Indonesia, and for start-ups from the Asia-Pacific region. Judging by the feedback from participants, the trainings were useful and inspiring, and many of them put what they learnt into practice in their companies. It was great to see the Business Integrity Toolkit for Young Entrepreneurs, co-authored by Brook Horowitz, CEO of IBLF Global and his colleagues at the UNDP FairBiz,  get such a good take-up in the ASEAN region.

Brook and UNDP FairBiz team in 2019

In Vietnam, IBLF Global will continue the work which started in 2016 with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). Since then, VCCI has made great progress in bringing to life its Government-Business Integrity Initiative. Supported by FairBiz and UNDP Vietnam, VCCI and IBLF Global have delivered a wide range of training programmes for companies, policy advice to the government, and public-private consultations. All this has contributed to putting business integrity onto the agenda in that country.

There are other collective action initiatives which should come to fruition in the months to come, such as bringing new technologies to public procurement, raising listed companies’ capacity to meet investors’ ESG expectations, and establishing a Vietnam Business Integrity Network.

Thanks to the gratitude the support and encouragement from members of the Private Sector Advisory Group, another achievement, during the last two and half years, was successfully engaging the business community. UNDP FairBiz's high-level public events, in collaboration with business associations and other multilateral organisations, set the direction for the future. Articles in the Financial Times and the regional press helped raise FairBiz’s visibility to a broader business audience.

IBLF Global appreciated the time working with successive FairBiz teams, the UNDP's Youth Co:Lab, Business and Human Rights, and Gender teams; and with the UNDP Country Offices in ASEAN. A special thanks goes to the FCDO's Economic and Trade Policy Division in Singapore for funding and curating the project.

The United Nations Development Programme, UNDP

IBLF Global