Anticorruption and Integrity

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Feature: Confidentiality

Confidentiality is simple. You learned it as a child. If asked to keep a secret - you keep it. If gossip or information comes your way - you don't pass it on, especially if it is damaging or frivolous. You tell a friend something 'in confidence' - you expect that friend not to tell anyone else. The basis of all this - is trust.

OAGI seeks to honor your trust, and undertakes to keep your identity as a complainant or whistleblower, and as a witness confidential.

In this inaugural issue, we explain how OAGI keeps information confidential. In later issues, other aspects of confidentiality will be addressed, including:

• Responsibilities of ADB staff
• Responsibilities of the complainant
• Recommended procedures
• Restricting knowledge of allegation(s) to those who need to know
• Protecting the identity of the complainant(s)

How OAGI handles confidentiality

At OAGI, the security of - and access to - confidential information is taken very seriously. A 'clean desk' policy is practiced whenever OAGI staff are away from their desk; staff are required to practice personal integrity and discretion. All OAGI offices and filing rooms only allow physical access upon verification of both electronic and/or fingerprint ID. Cleaning and other administrative services staff can only access OAGI's secure areas during office hours and only under close supervision of OAGI personnel.

OAGI has a separate and secure server, and server access is only accessible through user ID, SecurID and password verification, with investigative software only installed on hardware assigned to OAGI staff. Similarly, relevant databases are only accessible by OAGI staff.¹

On occasion, in order to investigate your complaint, OAGI may have to disclose certain information to others. This may include other witnesses, those involved in the administration or execution of the ADB-financed activity or your co-workers or colleagues. In the event that OAGI determines that your identity may be pinpointed as a result of OAGI's disclosures - no matter how careful or how discreet OAGI is - OAGI will advise you of this beforehand, and will proceed only if you expressly accept this risk.

While OAGI is able to ensure confidentiality of information provided to it, OAGI cannot ensure confidentiality of information provided to others outside of OAGI. Therefore, OAGI recommends that you report allegations of fraud and corruption exclusively to OAGI.

For more information on OAGI's activities, visit the Anticorruption website. Alternatively, you may write to anticorruption@adb.org or integrity@adb.org to ask any other questions in relation to ADB's anticorruption effort.