Taking responsibility, acting correctly, building trust – that is our goal at GIZ. To us, compliance means abiding by rules, acting in line with our values and ensuring integrity together.
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Compliance
As a federal enterprise, we operate responsibly – with clear rules, ethical standards and a lived understanding of integrity.
An overview of our compliance objectives
Compliance is firmly embedded in GIZ’s management system. Our compliance objectives are derived from our corporate objectives:
- GIZ operates as a reliable company that complies with the law and regulations. This is recognised by the outside world.
- Internal rules and processes are reviewed on a regular basis and improved where necessary.
- Reputational, liability and financial risks are minimised or avoided.
Ethics and integrity – our shared foundation
GIZ’s work is only possible thanks to the cooperative, respectful and trust-based relationship we enjoy with the people in our countries of assignment and with our partners. We take a politically and interculturally sensitive approach and act with integrity. GIZ promotes a corporate culture of action based on universal ethical values and principles.
GIZ’s ethical principles, values and beliefs are set out in a Code of Ethics . Its purpose is to guide the actions of our own workforce and all those we work with. Our Code of Conduct includes specific rules designed to prevent corruption and deal with conflicts of interest. GIZ has a policy of zero tolerance on corruption.
Achieving these objectives requires a strong compliance culture within the company, which we promote on an ongoing basis. Values are central to GIZ’s work. We are guided by the principles upheld in our society: integrity, honesty, respect for human dignity, openness and non-discrimination.
Integrity in our day-to-day work is our greatest asset, and all staff are obliged to act accordingly. We demand transparent and correct behaviour as well as professionalism in dealing with potential conflicts of interest.
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Management Board’s declaration
Responsible behaviour and compliance with the regulatory framework underpins every aspect of GIZ’s work and its credibility. Our workforce is bound by this principle – as are we, GIZ’s Management Board.
We consider it to be our duty to uphold compliance with rules, laws, guidelines and codes, to let our personal actions serve as examples of proper behaviour and to firmly anchor compliance in our corporate culture.
GIZ makes every effort to actively prevent and combat corruption. Violations will not be tolerated and penalised accordingly. In our role as managing directors, we work hard to ensure this at GIZ.
Information about possible violations or abuses helps us to meet our high compliance standards. We expressly call on our workforce, cooperation partners, business partners and also the general public to report any suspected cases. Our whistleblowing system has been set up for this very purpose. Any information reported is examined carefully and treated confidentially.
The Compliance Management System is part of GIZ’s corporate culture. It ensures that we are accountable for the funds entrusted to us, which we handle with integrity and in compliance with the rules. GIZ has not only set the bar high for itself, but also for its cooperation partners, subcontractors and commissioning parties.
Compliance management system
The trust of commissioning parties, clients, partners and the public is at the heart of our work. Our Compliance Management System (CMS) safeguards this trust with clear standards and effective processes. It is based on the PS 980 auditing standard of the Institute of Public Auditors in Germany (IDW) and the international standard DIN ISO 37301. These standards guarantee the long-term effectiveness of our CMS.
CMS is a key component of GIZ’s comprehensive internal control system (ICS). We use it to pursue three main objectives:
- Prevention: recognise, prevent and avoid risks
- Detection: identify problematic issues at an early stage
- Response: react appropriately to rule violations and unavoidable risks
Our CMS applies across the company and across all business processes, including those at our locations outside Germany. In addition to the internal auditing system, GIZ is subject to a large number of external audits, for which it has to provide evidence on a regular basis of the proper use of funds entrusted to it.