Safeguard Policy Statement & Strategy 2020 Midterm Review
Appendix 5: Anticorruption and Integrity Policies
Developing good governance and fighting corruption are core ADB strategic objectives and are crucial to effective,
transparent and accountable aid, to which ADB committed by endorsing the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
ADB's Office of Anticorruption and Integrity (OAI), an independent body since October 2009, is the initial point of contact
for allegations of integrity violations involving ADB-related activities or ADB staff. Its mission is to ensure ADB and its
partners maintain the highest ethical and professional standards, and prevent resources intended to improve the lives of
the poor from being used to line the pockets of the unscrupulous.
Any party found to have committed fraudulent, corrupt, coercive, collusive, obstructive practices, or other integrity
violations identified by ADB risks being sanctioned with debarment. Debarred entities are ineligible to participate in
ADB-financed, administered or supported activities. A debarred firm's ineligibility extends to all employees and officers
of a firm, and may extend to other principals and contractual employees of the firm. Debarred individuals may not
participate in ADB-related activity, as individuals or through nomination by an eligible firm, unless they have completely
disassociated themselves with an ineligible firm.
Following the Harmonized Framework adopted by MDBs in 2006, the Agreement on Cross-Debarment was signed by
ADB, the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Luxembourg on 9 April 2010. An important global
milestone in the fight against corruption, this Agreement allows that an entity debarred by one of the participating MDBs
be subsequently cross-debarred by the other participating MDBs, and constitutes an important step in strengthening
global anticorruption efforts.
The base sanction for integrity violations is 3-year debarment. The Integrity Oversight Committee (IOC) may impose a
greater or lesser debarment period depending on the circumstances of each case. The IOC will be guided by the
following ranges: 1) First debarments (including cases where a party has previously been given a reprimand) - 1 year to
indefinite for individuals and 1 to 7 years for firms, 2) Second debarments up to indefinite for individuals and up to 10
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years for firms, 3) Subsequent debarments up to indefinite for individuals and up to 20 years for firms.
In accordance with ADB's Anticorruption Policy, ADB's zero tolerance to corruption is linked to broader support for
governance and improvement in the quality and capacities of developing member countries (DMCs), with fraud and
corruption detection training given to government agencies in several of these DMCs.
ADB also organizes knowledge support activities to improve integrity awareness and skills. Since 2010 it is mandatory
for all ADB staff to be briefed on the importance of fighting corruption and adherence to ADB's Anticorruption Policy.
For further details, please see http://www.adb.org/site/integrity/main
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