Funding Round Activities - India

Corruption in the healthcare sector has severe consequences, directly impacting lives through issues such as embezzled repair funds, fake drugs entering the market and under-the-table payments undermining essential care. This urgent need for reform has highlighted the critical role of the Anti-Corruption Collective Action (ACCA) initiative. Addressing this gap, Global Compact Network India, through the Third Funding Round project, aims to strengthen transparency and accountability within the healthcare ecosystem through price transparency and value-based care in India. 

It focuses on engaging stakeholders, advocating for policy reforms and building sector capacity to combat corruption. Key efforts include community outreach, policy dialogues, targeted training, research and publications, all aimed at creating a more ethical and effective healthcare system

Main accomplishments

• Formed an ACCA Working Group with 69 members from various sectors to advance the ACCA initiative, advocate with policymakers and engage stakeholders, meeting bimonthly.
• Developed and submitted a Project Roadmap to the UN Global Compact outlining strategies to tackle healthcare sector corruption, receiving recognition for its effectiveness.
• Contributed to policy papers on global value chains and integrity through India B20 and Brazil B20 platforms.
• Trained 121 businesses on the ACCA Playbook developed by the UN Global Compact that are now supporting the project by planning, organizing,and facilitating further training.
• Published a Best Practice Compendium on Anti-Corruption for Healthcare and other relevant sectors, which has been integrated into policies and systems by various organizations.
  

Under the Second Funding Round, the "Centre of Excellence for Strengthening Transparency and Ethics in Business: Scaling up Collective Action Agenda in India" project advanced its focus on enhancing transparency and ethical practices in business. This phase emphasized the development of customized tools, the creation of a comprehensive knowledge portal and the promotion of collective action through strategic collaborations. It also prioritized dynamic interventions in Smart Cities, such as improving governance and compliance systems and facilitating stakeholder engagement through targeted workshops and roundtables.

Main accomplishments

• Developed tools to assess knowledge gaps and measure project progress. This foundational work laid the groundwork for effective anti-corruption initiatives.
• Created a dedicated knowledge portal. The portal provided crucial resources and a central platform for sharing anti-corruption laws, governance tools and other key materials.
• Enhanced transparency in public procurement policy. The adoption of seven out of eight recommendations by the Central Government marked a significant policy achievement.
• Published Guidance on Election Year Practices (2022) in Portuguese.
• Developed a compliance tool which improved transparency in the bidding process for Pune Smart City. This result demonstrated the practical impact of the project's tools on real-world governance challenges.
  

The project worked towards addressing specific corruption-related challenges in India by bringing together relevant stakeholders and establishing a platform for ongoing public-private dialogue. Through national consultations on transparency and anti-corruption measures in procurement, the Collective Action project made recommendations on behalf of businesses to India’s Public Procurement Bill of 2012. Additionally, various publications raised awareness of business efforts and highlighted key areas needing greater action. The project served as a platform for ongoing dialogue and the promotion of Collective Action efforts.

Main accomplishments

• Created the publication Understanding the Demand and Supply Equations of Corruption and Fraud, which provided insights into corruption and fraud by the private sector in India. Released at the B20 Summit in Russia in 2013, the publication received significant media coverage in India.
• Reached out to a wide range of stakeholders across different sectors to identify key dilemmas and challenges as well as best practices in Collective Action.
• Stakeholder mapping was done in AC issues in the Indian context viz. procurement, bribery and fraud in the private sector and supply-chain transparency, which led to the development of a compendium of case studies and initiatives of the public and private enterprises,which further the cause of Anti Corruption Collective Action in India.
• A business case for transparency was developed. It gave empirical evidence that 15 per cent to 35 per cent of profits are ensured when anti-corruption policies and practices are in place in a business. A publication with articles from subject experts and practitioners leading various anti-corruption initiatives as well as industry leaders was  compiled.