ABSTRACT

This chapter reviews the impact of corruption on human rights. It evaluates the international efforts to outlaw corruption and their effectiveness to date. The chapter discusses a corporate principles approach to controlling bribery in international business transactions and reviews corporate practices. It looks at Royal Dutch/Shell’s efforts at combating corruption. Corruption is an under-appreciated impediment to the realisation of human rights in developing countries. While government officials profit from bribes taken from multinational corporations and others, many citizens’ rights are compromised. Like any economic transaction, corruption has both a demand side and a supply side. Public officials demand bribes, and private citizens or organisations, such as businesses, supply the bribes. Company compliance with the policies is monitored by the Audit Committee and Social Responsibility Committee, which oversees the implementation of Shell’s business principles and control mechanisms. Reducing corruption is a win–win situation in that it is simultaneously pro-business and pro-human rights.