Managing Conflict of Interest - Organisation for Economic Co ...

88 Managing Conflict of InterestSanctions are included to ensure that public officials take personalresponsibility for complying with both the letter and the spiritof such standards, and also encouragement for public officials whoconsistently demonstrate such compliance.But following such recommendations in real-life situations is thetest. Even identifying a specific COI situation in day-to-day workpractice can prove very difficult. And resolving the conflicting interestsappropriately in a particular case is something that most peoplefind even more challenging. If public organizations are to be ableto follow these recommendations, they need practical instrumentsto help public officials understand how to apply the COI policy inconcrete situations. The OECD has developed and tested a Toolkitfor Managing Conflict of Interest to meet this need.The Toolkit provides a set of practical ways to help managersand officials put COI policy into practice. Instead of outlining a setof complex administrative definitions and processes, the Toolkitprovides practical solutions to enable officials to identify, manage,and resolve COI situations. Practical tools include self-tests to identifyCOI, checklists to detect “areas at risk,” and training materialsin the form of detailed case studies. The tools have been adaptedto provide applicable solutions, which can be adapted for use inpublic organizations in different contexts.One of the tools provides a simple objectivity test that can helpdetermine a COI situation by asking two simple questions:••Is Joe/Joanna a public official of a relevant kind?Does he/she have private interests of a relevant kind?If the answer to both questions is yes, then Joe/Joanna has areal/actual COI. Essentially, what is “relevant” is context-dependentand is determined by the duties of the official. While the “conflict” isdetermined by the circumstances, “incompatibility” is determinedby the law.Another simple tool for self-monitoring by public officials isthe “G.I.F.T.” test, which asks four simple questions about a giftoffered:• Genuine: Is this gift genuine, in appreciation for somethingI have done in my role as a public official, and not sought orencouraged by me?ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific