Sofis Solutions participates in the webinar "Ethics and Anti-Corruption Policies in Times of Pandemic," organized by DERES

Montevideo, September 11, 2020.

Sofis Solutions is one of the companies committed to implementing mechanisms aligned with zero tolerance for corruption and bribery. As such, the organization has positioned itself as the first company in the IT sector in Uruguay and Latin America to obtain the ISO 37001:2016 certification. This standard proposes a series of measures that help public and private organizations prevent, detect, and combat bribery through the implementation of an Anti-Bribery Management System (ABMS), contributing to the fulfillment of the United Nations Global Compact's universal principles and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

On Tuesday, September 8, the webinar "Ethics and Anti-Corruption Policies in Times of Pandemic" was held, as part of the “Meeting Points” Series organized by DERES, a non-profit organization that brings together leading companies in Uruguay committed to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Development. The objective of the event was to create a virtual space for dialogue to address the importance of preventing, detecting, and appropriately combating corruption and bribery at the organizational level, as well as to exchange experiences and mechanisms used by participating companies, which can serve as a foundation for others to adopt similar practices to foster ethical and transparent environments, both internally and with external stakeholders.

The event featured presentations by Lic. Laura Viré, Head of Quality and Responsible for the Anti-Bribery Management System at Sofis Solutions; Dr. Johanna Atala, Director of the Legal Department at Securitas Uruguay; and Dr. Virginia Cervieri, Director of Cervieri Monsuárez. They shared their experiences regarding the organizational impact of corruption, the importance of implementing and complying with anti-bribery standards, and incorporating risk management mechanisms to prevent bribery, among other topics.

The first presentation was given by Dr. Johanna Atala, who shared legal concepts related to corruption and bribery, the importance of adhering to anti-corruption and anti-bribery policies with a zero-tolerance approach, and the need to implement mechanisms aligned with the values and principles of each organization. She also shared specific actions undertaken by her company, such as local and international whistleblower hotlines, training sessions, courses, and reporting mechanisms.

The second speaker was Lic. Laura Viré, Head of Quality and responsible for the Anti-Bribery Management System at Sofis Solutions, who spoke about the company’s sustainable commitment to anti-corruption and anti-bribery, and shared the experience of becoming the first IT company in Uruguay and Latin America to achieve ISO 37001 certification.

She commented: "As an organization, we are aligned with working under internationally recognized methodologies for service management and quality models that focus on continuous improvement. We also operate with ethical and quality-driven commitment to meet and exceed client expectations. Lastly, we reaffirm our commitment to the UN Global Compact to support and promote best practices within our sphere of influence."

Infographic: Anti-Bribery Management System ISO 37001

She also emphasized general aspects of the ISO 37001 standard, such as its foundation on Annex SL, which allows integration with other standards. Another key point is conducting a general contextual analysis of the organization. In the case of Sofis Solutions, this analysis includes economic, sociocultural, political, technological, ecological, and legal environments that may impact the organization now and in the future. "At Sofis Solutions, we also previously analyze the needs and expectations of stakeholders (from internal collaborators to clients), as well as potential risks and the activities related to each service. This is done through the Integrated Management System, a solution developed by Sofis Solutions, which serves as the foundational tool for the ABMS and functions as a preventive measure to reduce the severity and likelihood of potential adverse events and to detect them in a timely manner,” explained Lic. Viré.

To conclude her presentation, Lic. Laura Viré stated: "Our mission is to continue promoting an ethical and committed culture within the organization and among our stakeholders, and to build alliances with other organizations to collaboratively address issues of transparency and zero tolerance for bribery both nationally and regionally, thereby encouraging other organizations to join best practices related to business ethics to improve people’s quality of life."

The final presentation of the virtual meeting was delivered by Dr. Virginia Cervieri, Director of Cervieri Monsuárez, who discussed cases of corruption and bribery from a legal standpoint and shared her experience in implementing actions to prevent and combat these practices both internally and externally.

Finally, the panelists answered questions from the webinar participants and shared the main challenges their organizations have faced in addressing ethics. Lic. Eleonora Álvarez, moderator of the event, closed the session by thanking each panelist for their contributions on behalf of the DERES team and inviting the general public to participate in upcoming “Meeting Points” events organized by the network.