18. External Engagement & Reporting
Best Practice Guidelines
Integrate your approach: Adopt an integrated approach to external communications, corporate transparency, public reporting and stakeholder engagement to ensure consistent messaging. Align reporting to international reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative, Sustainability Reporting Standards and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets and indicators.
Assign responsibilities: Assign clearly who manages the input into the corporate reporting process and set responsibilities for setting and achieving targets and reporting progress.
Define the scope and methodology: Define the key anti-bribery messages and information to be communicated, indicators for reporting, reporting frameworks to be used, stakeholders to be consulted and the methodology for consultation.
Use a range of reporting tools: This will include annual reports, sustainability reports and supplements, newsletters and web pages. In the sustainability report, keep reports on the anti-bribery programme focused and short. Put full content on the website with a dedicated page for each key topic.
Include leadership statements: Accompany reporting with keynote statements from the leadership.
Due prominence: Anti-bribery reporting will form part of wider reporting on corporate responsibility but should be given appropriate attention according to the level of risk and stakeholder expectations.
Be transparent: Provide organisational transparency and country-by-country reporting.
Monitor: Monitor developments in public reporting. Check for changes in laws and regulations, seek feedback on your reporting, analyse web usage and monitor social media. Review how the company’s communications and reporting meet its commitments to accountability and transparency.
Review by leadership: Make periodic reports to senior management and the board on public reporting and stakeholder engagement, lessons learned and improvements.
