Dealing with extortion and solicitation: New and expanded RESIST training toolkit unveiled

Paris, 23 June 2010

The threat of bribe solicitation and extortion remains a severe hindrance to a fair and open trading system – vital for a healthy global economy and to efforts to curb corruption. Unveiled today during a meeting of the United Nations 10^th Principle Working Group in New York, the expanded edition of Resisting Extortion and Solicitation in International Transactions (RESIST) is a practical toolkit to help companies train employees to respond appropriately to a variety of solicitations.

Comprising 22 real-life scenarios, RESIST is a joint initiative of the International Chamber of Commerce, Transparency International, the UN Global Compact and the World Economic Forum Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI).

The expanded edition of RESIST includes 15 scenarios which companies and organizations could be faced with during the implementation phase of a project. It includes advice on what to do when a bribe is demanded for the release of perishable goods in customs to ways of dealing with a tax inspector requesting a kickback against a tax discharge.

The second installment of RESIST builds on the initial 2009 edition, which set out seven solicitation scenarios occurring in the procurement stage of a project, and significantly expands the generic recommendations.

“RESIST is the only anti-bribery training toolkit developed by companies for companies and sponsored by the four global anti-corruption initiatives working on the supply side of the issue of fighting corruption,” said Johann Le Frapper, who chaired phase two of the RESIST initiative. “It not only helps businesses avoid solicitation from the onset but also provides practical advice on how best to confront demands for bribes when they do arise. In addition to the scenarios, RESIST provides in the Annex general, good-practice recommendations that can be applied in most situations provided they are tailor-made to reflect the specific circumstances .

RESIST is the latest of a series of close collaborations between the global four anti-corruption initiatives working on the supply side of the issue of fighting corruption. Other collaboration projects include the business case for fighting corruption and a CEO letter to the UN Secretary General.

RESIST is available to download free of charge from each sponsor’s website.

RESIST has been devised as a “user-friendly” tool for the benefit of small, medium and large enterprises to complement their compliance programmers. Any company exposed to solicitation risks will find the toolkit a valuable resource tool to provoke open internal discussions on how to face dilemmas.

ICC has been concerned about the effects of corruption on international trade for more than 25 years and has developed a range of tools to guide business on the issue. These include:

ICC Guidelines on Whistleblowing
Clean Business Is Good Business: The Business Case against Corruption
Fighting Corruption: International Corporate Integrity Handbook 
ICC Rules of Conduct and Recommendations for Combating Extortion and Bribery