Saturday 4 July 2015

The role of civil society in the struggle for justice, integrity and democracy was today’s opening plenary topic, complementing the larger conference theme of 'building trust for ethical and inclusive governance.' A diverse assembly of over 200 delegates from all continents came to debate and advance the need for Just Governance in countries that have been exposed to oppression, corruption, conflict, or are suffering the aftermath of civil war.

Bedan Mbugua, founder of Kenya’s Fountain Media Group, was imprisoned twice in Kenya for his exposure of corruption. In his opinion, the role of media should be to 'celebrate the good and provide solutions', and to raise and address issues of corruption. 'We realise that women are a power base to combat corruption', he said. Today BBC World News (2 July 2015) carried a report on the Kenyan government’s nationwide crackdown on the illegal alcohol that kills hundreds of Kenyans every year. This is a response to the ‘Mothers Against Drug Abuse’ campaign initiated by Fountain Media.

Dr Carl Stauffer, the Caux Scholars programme Academic Director, offered key thoughts on the essential qualities of 'leadership' in paving the way for good governance. In the role of 'provocateur' Just Governance is about unmasking the 'powers that be', with civil society institutions often being the only structures that possess enough 'moral and ethical fibre' to 'speak truth to power'.

Ihor Koliushko, Head of Board for Ukraine’s Centre for Political and Legal Reform, spoke about civil society in Ukraine being familiar with opposing the government and its oppression of the people. At a certain point civil society must realize the importance of collaborating with the government to bring about change, but how do you implement reforms in a state of conflict?

Daphrose Barampama, International President of Creators of Peace, Burundi – a program part of Initiatives of Change International promoting peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region - reminded us that Just Governance is not only for governments, but something we must all embrace on a personal level. In particular, what can women do to take part in supporting society? 'We all act as if the other were the obstacle to peace, but what if this other were me?'.

Archana Rao, Associate Director of Grampari – an organization working towards rural development in India - presented her vision of a just and sustainable society. Grampari works with disempowered youth and women to 'co-create governing systems'. She posed the question: ‘How do we create large scale compassion?’ and presented Grampari’s Aquifer project, enabling villages to work together to ensure safe drinking water.

Avo Sevag Garabet from Lebanon briefed the audience on the Armenian genocide, explaining how his typical Armenian upbringing in Lebanon included the narrative that Turkish people were enemies. He began questioning the cause of this deep hatred when he heard about the story of an Armenian/Turkish dialogue through a youth hike to Musa Dagh, one of the Armenian villages that successfully resisted the Ottoman army.

The Just Governance conference aims to enable sustainable development in order to establish new frameworks and structures for civil society, with a vision of a more equitable future. It was agreed by all panelists that Just Governance is required at all levels of society - from individuals and local communities to NGOs and government itself.

You can now watch the interview with Sunil Mathur, Managing Director and CEO of Siemens Ltd Southeast Asia and speaker at the opening session of TIGE 2015, on YouTube.

The 9th TIGE Conference ended and left the Caux Conference Centre filled with extraordinary life-stories full of courage and determination.

Speakers included Sunil Mathur the CEO of Siemens LTD in India, Swiss businesswomen of the year Jane Royston, and Emmanuel Mutisya who delivered an inspiring story of fighting corruption in Kenya. 

Wendy Addison, founder of Speakout-Speakup, and Alia Benomar, shared their stories as whistleblowers. They both had to face harsh consequences but never gave up. They continued fighting for what they believed in, even if it meant giving up the life they had known thus far. Addison reached the bottom when she found herself begging on the street to feed her 12-year-old son, as finding a job after being labelled a whistlelower had become impossible. Ben went against her own family as she found out something wasn't right in her family flour-milling business in Morocco. Ultimately both found a way; Addison, after a long journey, created a company to encourage and support other whistleblowers. Ben, despite her family being torn apart in the process, decided to sell the old family business, only to create another one with her mother and brother, keeping the faith in family-run businesses with trust and integrity.

Ahmet Shala, former Ambassador and Economics Minister of Kosovo, closed the conference with a moving and motivational speech: "Make a Choice, take a chance and you will see the change you want to see." Even after losing half of his family to the war in Kosovo, ambassador Shala never gave up and still believes that peace and transformation is ever more important than before. He called for the support of participants and organizers in creating an institute for peace-building in Kosovo, towards economic development and healing the wounds of history.

Participants had the choice of attending a variety of practical workshops, including Spiritual intelligence for leadership, Business and human rights, Knowledge flows in organisations and how to lead change. For the first time there was also an action-oriented leadership training that aimed to improve participants collaborative skills, strengthen leadership confidence and acquire stakeholder engagement competency – the ‘Impact Leadership’ track was delivered by Business School Lausanne and LiFT. 

Not only was the mind energised, so was the soul with daily morning yoga sessions, group silent reflection and ‘Inner leadership’ sessions that looked at one’s purpose, character and competencies. 

TIGE yet again challenged the status quo and not only showcased compelling stories of change but also equipped participants with leadership tools to create a more just and sustainable economy.

TIGE is now emerging around the world! Inspiring conversations were happening throughout the conference about TIGE National Chapters being established in Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland, USA, UK, Mexico and Scotland – watch this space!

The conference on Just Governance for Human Security has brought 230 people from over 40 countries to Caux. When asked in the opening session why they had come, many spoke of the urgent need for just governance. Vigorous applause greeted the comment of a South African lawyer who said that FIFA’s corruption was being exposed, and this should lead to a much wider onslaught on corrupt practices. A women’s leader from Mali said, ‘We have come with our fears, and we want to learn how to construct a post-conflict country.’ A Ukrainian said, ‘Our country is at war, and we need solutions.’

For conference co-convenor John Bond, climate change was the priority. ‘For our very survival, we Europeans need to take responsibility for the wellbeing of the African farmer driven into poverty by climate change. That demands a huge shift in our mentality. We still blame Africans for their poverty, while massively exploiting Africa’s resources for our own benefit.’

Mohan Bhagwandas, Vice-President of Initiatives of Change International, pointed out that the 500 years of leadership of the West in world affairs is giving way to that of other regions. ‘The old systems of ethnicity and divisive politics has to give way to an inclusive agenda for the good of the human family,’ he said. ‘That is the significance of this conference.’

by Esme McAvoy

Sunil Mathur, CEO and Managing Director of the German engineering giant Siemens Ltd South Asia, opened this year’s Initiatives of Change TIGE (Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy) annual conference by sharing his company´s journey through a major corruption crisis that threatened to cripple the whole organisation. The company has, incredibly, turned that crisis into an opportunity for fundamental, value-led change. Siemens is now ranked by Dow Jones as the world’s No 1 company for best compliance.

For Mathur, the issues at the heart of this week’s TIGE conference 'have never been more relevant than they are today'. He has worked for Siemens in various capacities for 25 years and yet even he was not prepared for the revelations of large-scale corruption that hit Siemens in 2006. Corrupt practices involving bribes to win new business contracts were alleged to be systemic throughout the Siemens organisation. 'The news hit us straight between the eyes. I was then working in the UK and we were stunned. Almost overnight, we had the Securities and Exchange Commission and the German Authorities against us. It was the last thing we imagined given the size and stature of the company.'

Ethics have always been central to Siemens corporate philosophy. Over a century ago, Siemens’ founder was quoted as saying, 'I won’t sell the future for a quick profits,' and many of the company´s biggest projects are about improving quality of life for citizens around the world, whether in designing more liveable ‘smart cities’ or designing hi-tech solutions to improve healthcare and energy efficiency. So what went so wrong?

For Mathur, it was, counter-intuitively, the proliferation of guidelines and policies that played their part: 'We had a guideline and policy or procedure for everything! But, in making so many guidelines and policies, we had lost our values. Our values were only on paper. They were not lived out in the fabric of the organisation.'

The response to the crisis from Siemens leaders was, crucially, upfront and honest: 'We have made mistakes and now we will clean our house up,' Mathur said. 'But little did they know what this would mean.' The entire board of Siemens resigned and the company was without any functioning board for an unprecedented 60 days. The company appointed a new CEO, importantly an outsider, who vowed that, 'Only clean business is Siemens business.'

Meanwhile, the company set to work on establishing global agreements on the murky areas of client relations and expenditure. Wining and dining clients was immediately forbidden and all sponsorship was stopped. 'Sales forces out there thought we’d lost it,' Mathur admits. 'They said, "How can you win client trust without taking them to dinner or to cricket?"'

The company has cut back on its multitude of procedures and policies, instead putting the emphasis on individuals to make good decisions based on personal integrity. The company now has four simple questions employees can ask themselves before making a decision, such as 'Is this the right thing for Siemens? Is it consistent with Siemens values and mine?' and, importantly; 'Is it something I am willing to be held accountable for?' Such simple but effective self-questioning builds trust in an organisation and helps people act from a more ethical position.

The in-depth scrutiny and subsequent implementation of changes were painful, costly and time-consuming for Siemens but incredibly effective. Agreements were met with authorities in a record-breaking 18 months and the company wasn´t excluded from public contracts. The company paid out a hefty 2billion Euros in penalties and legal fees but Siemens was widely praised for its remediation efforts by the regulatory institutions. The real recognition externally, however, came with its ranking in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in 2009; Siemens was ranked No 1 under the category of compliance and risk management and has proudly maintained that position every year since - an astonishing turnaround for a company mired in corruption just three short years before.

Siemens has now started sharing their experiences in these areas of compliance and driving values-led change with other large corporations. 'It´s no longer just about getting results but how you get your results that is more important,' says Mathur. 'Policies and guidelines can only take you so far. What really counts is your value-system. Individuals living their personal values in work can make significant changes within any organisation, no matter how big. Large doors open on small hinges.'

This past weekend, Jane Royston and Emmanuel Mutisya shared their stories of personal development at the 9^th annual ‘Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy’ (TIGE) conference in Caux, Switzerland. Both faced difficulties establishing themselves and staying true to their identities and values in the business world.

Whilst Royston had difficulties accepting that employees could be treated as disposable resources in big corporations, Mutisya was troubled by the corruptive behavioural norms in his home country, Kenya.

Royston eventually founded her own successful IT company, NatSoft, which strongly incorporated her own ideals and values. Much of it was based on her unequal treatment at her previous employer, DuPont France. For her, teamwork and dedication took top priority; profits became secondary.

Mutisya, on the other hand, had always been aware of and, to an extent, part of the corruptive standards in Kenya. His need for honest business became apparent after gaining a new perspective whilst pursuing his Master’s studies in Sweden. Although he was confronted with criticism and disapproval, he stayed true to his values and was able to establish a sustainable business model in his home country.

Read the full articles by downloading the PDFs below:

Jane Royston:  ‘Swiss founder of NatSoft was no soft touch’

Emmanuel Mutisya: ‘How a Kenyan businessman made a stance against corruption'

Ambassador Ahmet Shala, the Economics and Finance Minister of the Republic of Kosovo from 2008 to 2011, following the country’s declaration of independence from Serbia, lost many members of his close and wider family during the Kosovo War 1998-99. ‘For six months I didn’t know if my wife and family were alive or dead,’ he told the annual conference on Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy in Caux, Switzerland, on 30 June 2015. On his return home, on 16 June 1999, he found that ‘my flat and my house were burned.’

Yet Ambassador Shala appealed for a spirit of apology and forgiveness. ‘We should not get angry, we should not loose trust, we should find strength and get beyond the pain. We should apologize and forgive,’ he said. ‘I am proud of my people and my nation – the nation of Mother Teresa. Her spirit, soul and heart are present – today and forever. Today, in Kosovo, families and people who lost everything are now calling for peace, forgiveness and reconciliation. It is everybody’s business to help to change things for the better. Truth telling is very important in life. You should listen to others too. There are sufferings on the other side too. That is why we have to start with an apology, even for the smallest “thing” you might have done wrong to others.’

He again quoted Mother Teresa who had said, ‘Do not wait for leaders to change things. It is everybody’s business to help to change things, person to person.’

Through a story, Shala introduced the three questions 'Who are you? Where are you going? Why are you going there?' that according to him one should ask oneself every day. He continued: ‘Do we do enough to change for the better? Change starts at the very grassroots with your own family.’

His father had told him: ‘There are only two nations in the world—good people and bad people.’ Shala added that ‘we are not here to judge who is good or bad; but we are here to be an example of change, to love our neighbour and even our enemy. Only with love, care, genuine dedication and respect can you win against hate.’ His father had also told him: ‘The wings of man are good friends. You should be the wings of the friend in need.’ He spoke proudly of how today in the Kosovo Parliament the nation’s two million people now are well represented, even the smallest minorities such as Roma, Ashkali, Gorani etc. Even those who make up 0.5 per cent of the population have a seat in parliament, he said. Over five million Kosovars are scattered in the diaspora around the world, including 850,000 in the USA and probably more in Europe and Turkey. Though Serbia does not yet recognize the independence of Kosovo and it is not yet a member of the United Nations, Kosovo has gained significant diplomatic recognition as a sovereign state from 110 UN member states so far.

Ambassador Shala, who was Kosovo’s ambassador to Japan from 2012 to 2015 and is now a visiting lecturer at three US universities, announced his plan to launch a Foundation for Peacebuilding and Sustainable Development in the Balkans and South East Europe, by 2017. His aim is to encourage the regeneration of the Balkans on the basis of healing the past and creating economic wellbeing for everyone. ‘You cannot expect peace from an empty stomach,’ he said. The foundation will be built on four Ts, he said: think, talk, trust and team. He appealed to the conference for support in this. ‘I am here to ask you for team-building. I am searching for partners to make it happen,’ he said.

He received an immediate response from a British member of the audience who has conducted Foundations for Freedom training courses in central and eastern European countries, including Ukraine, in recent years.

Shala told a story from 1999 about an old villager he had met in the streets of Kosovo. He asked him if he could forgive someone from Serbia. Holding up his stick, he replied: ‘Listen, I lost 18 members of my family. They took my 12-year-old nephew and pushed me to watch how they massacred him and the others. How can I forgive now? But if a Serbian child comes through my village, I’ll protect him as if he were my son and nobody could touch him’. Shala said that the old man had given him hope for forgiveness and hope in the generation to come. ‘The struggle is between mercy and revenge,’ he concluded'.

by Michael Smith and Sherif Rizq

By Doris Okenwa

It’s been 15 years since Wendy Addison spoke truth to power. In the year 2000, while working as the international treasurer of the publicly listed South African company LeisureNet, regarded as the darling of the Johannesburg stock exchange, she spotted and exposed backhand dealings within the organization. But whistleblowing comes with a heavy price tag. ‘The focus is often on shooting the messenger and not to examine the message,’ she told the annual conference on Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy (TIGE) in Caux, Switzerland, on 29 June.

Exposing the two Chief Executive Officers in one’s own organization could be considered at least as a maverick move, especially as they had been her personal friends. Addison was the only woman on the board and became known as ‘Wendy the wildcard’.

It took 11 years for her to secure justice amidst death threats and loss of income. She was fired from the company and much of her social circles, to the point of fleeing, under death threats, with her young son from South Africa to the UK.

The corrupt executives eventually landed jail terms. But deprived of an income and with no savings or pension, the messenger was left in the cold. Addison begged on the streets of Kingston upon Thames, South-west London, for several months to survive and cater for her 12year old son prior to the legal enquiry and court case beginning back in South Africa. From 2012 till today, she says, ‘it’s been a matter of rebuilding myself, initiating Speak Out, SpeakUp (her support organizations for whistleblowers), and then starting to be of service to others.’

Alia Ben’s story, which she told publicly for the first time during the TIGE conference, rings with the same moral conviction. Ben was part of her family’s long established flourmill in Casablanca, Morocco, the largest such enterprise in the North African country, with over 1000 employees. Rather than engage in unethical business practices, Ben disclosed information to her grandfather, the original owner of the business. 

She found family members blurring the line between company finances and their personal wealth. With the support of her grandfather, Ben exposed corrupt practices, despite the patriarchal ties that bind many Moroccan business ventures. ‘Moroccan businesses are family businesses,’ she says, making deviation from the status quo akin to the betrayal of one’s kith and kin. But to maintain the reputation of the family business, she felt she had no other option. Since, the company has been bought and she remains in the organization as a key consultant.  

What stands out from Ben’s story is the desire to stand up for what us right against all odds, even if it involves family. These women are not ignorant of the devices employed against perceived traitors.

Addison understands the psychological implications of whistle blowing as she explained to TIGE participants who questioned her about its ideological and moral underpinnings. ‘No one is born a choker,’ she says. ‘I believe we all know what’s right and wrong from a very innate, primitive sense. The problem is we don't know how to act on what we see as wrong doing.’ Analysis and speculation is easy; action is harder. ‘So while the whistle blower or the messenger, or the person having the courage, might be seen to be altruistic or naive in terms of their action, I believe it’s an absolutely necessary step for us, specifically if we look at the messages that are coming out from whistle blowers.’

Addison, who has recently completed a Courageous Leadership course in Berkeley, California, has developed what she calls ‘a social psyche model that trains individuals and builds the brain’s neuro-muscles’ through a program called Social Fitness Training. The idea is to enable candid conversations by building confidence through objective dialogues. ‘Just like training for a marathon,’ she says. People are trained to speak up from a less emotional or subjective standpoint and also fortified against possible backlash.

She cautions that ‘there is also work to be done on the recipient of the bad news, so that we support their sense of self-worth as well in terms of how they hear that bad news, how they frame that bad news and what actions they take afterwards.’ The natural inclination is often to silence the messenger and erect walls to prevent further scandals. This defeats the aim. For in the end, whistle blowing should not be a witch hunt. It is a quest for ethics, conscience, fairness; a quest to put the humane factor back into business. 

On 28 June 2015,  Laurent Wehrli, mayor of Montreux, Anne Lugon-Moulin, ambassador and representative of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, joined Mohan Baghwandas, vice-president of IofC International, and Antoine Jaulmes, president of the CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation, to welcome participants and guests to the Official Opening of the Caux Conferences 2015.

The programme of the day included a guided tour of the former Caux-Palace, an overview of IofC’s activities around the world and a presentation of the Caux Programmes and Conferences.

On Wednesday March 25, Cornelio Sommaruga was invited to participate as the honorary President of Initiatives of Change International (IofC) at side-event during the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.  The event was entitled, From early warning to early action: how to make early warning mechanisms more effective.

It was co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of Italy and Sierra Leone as well as the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.  UN was launching a new early warning mechanism against atrocities which will be accompanied by seminars and training sessions in various parts of the world to put it into good use.

The other speakers included International Law Professor Marco Sassoli, Mr. Adama Dieng, Special Advisor of the United Nations Secretary-General on the prevention of Genocide (who presented his office’s new Framework of Analysis) as well as representatives from Human Rights Watch, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the two Ambassadors of the co-sponsoring missions.

During the introductions, Mr. Sommaruga was referred to as the “Godfather” for all his important contributions to humanitarian work, not least of which being on a panel, led by Ambassador Sahnoun, that produced the original Responsibility to Protect concept.  All of the panelists were asked to comment on the new Framework of Analysis, and Mr. Sommaruga made reference to the work of IofC globally and to the Caux conferences with a special mention of how the work has built trust between people of different religions. He explained how IofC was actually made up of people of many different faiths and since it worked on the link between global and personal change naturally worked with different religions and the understanding between them all while remaining neutral and open to people of all backgrounds including those not adhering to any religion.  He mentioned the work in Lebanon and across the Middle East, in the UK, the work of the Imam and the pastor and the use IofC makes of their film, and of course mentioned some of the various inter-religious moments at Caux.

In the full room, a lively question and answer session followed the various presentations and copies of the new UN tool were made available. Though a small step, it is a step forward for the UN to produce hands-on practical tools and of course. IofC is of course delighted that to help promote this new tool through this side-event but has also been asked to see how it help promote it on the ground.