PR86622

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Nov. 19, 2020/PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

TRACE  https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2981654-1&h=3623460724&u=https%3A%2F%2Fc212.net%2Fc%2Flink%2F%3Ft%3D0%26l%3Den%26o%3D2638903-1%26h%3D971634510%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.traceinternational.org%252F%26a%3DTRACE&a=TRACE ), a globally recognized business association dedicated to anti-bribery, good

governance and compliance, has released the 2020 TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix  

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2981654-1&h=2764253596&u=https%3A%2F%2Fc212.net%2Fc%2Flink%2F%3Ft%3D0%26l%3Den%26o%3D2638903-1%26h%3D2148562091%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.traceinternational.org%252Ftrace-matrix%26a%3DTRACE%2BBribery%2BRisk%2BMatrix&a=TRACE+Bribery+Risk+Matrix ),

which measures business bribery risk in 194 jurisdictions. According to this

year's data, North Korea, Turkmenistan, South Sudan, Venezuela and Eritrea

present the highest commercial bribery risk, while Denmark, Norway, Finland,

Sweden and New Zealand present the lowest.

Other notable findings:

    - The United States dropped eight places in the rankings since 2019,

      and out of the top 20, from 15th to 23rd.

    - South America, on average, improved notably since 2019, while the

      broader Latin America region remained largely unchanged.

    - China has potentially helped to reduce opportunities for bribe demands

      by public officials by continuing to streamline its bureaucracy.

    - Somalia moved out of the bottom ranking, which it held from 2017 to

      2019, and is now ranked 187th out of 194.

Originally published in 2014 to meet a need in the business community for more

reliable information about bribery risk worldwide, the TRACE Matrix addresses

the likelihood of encountering bribe demands when doing business in a given

jurisdiction. This year's edition includes an updated selection of datapoints

to ensure the TRACE Matrix is based on the most recent available information.

"The TRACE Matrix has been designed with businesses in mind, aggregating

multiple relevant data sources that are not limited to show general perceptions

of corruption but that also reflect the countries' commitments to prevent

corruption from happening through regulatory transformation, increased

transparency, public modernization and civil society empowerment," said Gonzalo

Guzman, Global General Counsel, Anti-Corruption at Unilever. "We applaud and

recognize the efforts that TRACE makes to keep this tool publicly available at

no charge and we look forward to continuing using it as the external country

risk source for our global risk assessment."

"Effective compliance programs must be tailored to address specific risks

companies encounter on the ground," TRACE President Alexandra Wrage said. "The

TRACE Matrix helps compliance teams make informed decisions about how to

mitigate bribery risk based on geographic variances, an important component of

any risk assessment."

The TRACE Matrix helps companies examine the conditions that allow commercial

bribery to flourish: (1) the nature and extent of government interaction with

the private sector; (2) societal attitudes toward bribery and the government's

ability to enforce anti-bribery laws; (3) governmental transparency; and (4)

civil society's ability to monitor and expose corruption.

The TRACE Matrix is publicly available at TRACEinternational.org/trace-matrix  

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2981654-1&h=893982883&u=https%3A%2F%2Fc212.net%2Fc%2Flink%2F%3Ft%3D0%26l%3Den%26o%3D2638903-1%26h%3D2628491308%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.traceinternational.org%252Ftrace-matrix%26a%3Dtraceinternational.org%252Ftrace-matrix&a=TRACEinternational.org%2Ftrace-matrix ). Access the Matrix Data Browser at www.matrixbrowser.TRACEinternational.org  

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2981654-1&h=4096023259&u=https%3A%2F%2Fc212.net%2Fc%2Flink%2F%3Ft%3D0%26l%3Den%26o%3D2638903-1%26h%3D2049302144%26u%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fmatrixbrowser.traceinternational.org%252F%26a%3Dmatrixbrowser.traceinternational.org&a=matrixbrowser.TRACEinternational.org ).

View a 90-second video

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2981654-1&h=3303887372&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dj9qjiKlmdKQ%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&a=video ) about the TRACE Matrix.

About TRACE

TRACE is a globally recognized business association dedicated to anti-bribery,

compliance and good governance and leading provider of shared-cost third party

risk management solutions. Members and clients include over 500 multinational

companies located worldwide. TRACE is headquartered in the United States and

registered in Canada, with a presence on five continents. For more information,

visit: www.TRACEinternational.org.

SOURCE:  TRACE

CONTACT: Gigi O'Connell

         goconnell@traceinternational.org