Georgian mobile operator Cellfie Mobile was chosen to participate in the global events planned within the UN General Assembly: UN Leader’s Summit and UN Summit of the Future 2024.
For more than 20 years, the UN Global Compact has brought together companies with high social responsibility to work together to achieve the world’s Sustainable Development Goals. The Georgian mobile operator Cellfie Mobile was among those companies that participated in the United Nations Global Compact Leader’s Summit 2024. Cellfie Mobile representative, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Ia Mameishvili, delivered a speech there.
During the week of the UN General Assembly, Cellfie Mobile was also invited to the UN Summit of the Future. Accredited organizations, country delegations and private sector representatives attended the summit. Within the framework of the summit, Ia Mameishvili participated in several high-level events including The Leaders’ Summit, the UN Global Compact’s dynamic day-long conference dedicated to providing the tools, network, knowledge, and inspiration needed to scale the impact of private sector contributions to the 2030 Agenda. The Summit focused on leveraging technology, fostering equity, and promoting sustainable practices to address global challenges. It explored how advancements in technology can create inclusive solutions to enhance global well-being and discussed the role of generative AI in achieving sustainable development goals, ensuring that technological intentions translate into tangible outcomes. The discussion also highlighted the importance of empowering marginalized communities to drive solutions to pressing global issues and discussion about providing actionable strategies for embedding gender equality into organizational practices. Additionally, the summit examined the intersection of AI technology and corporate responsibility in upholding human rights, explored strategies for ensuring fair wages across sectors, contributing to economic equity and discussing how businesses can align investments with climate goals to drive environmental progress.
Cellfie Mobile is the only Georgian company among 25 global companies selected as a participant of the Business Integrity Think Lab
As a member of the UN Global Compact Network Georgia, Cellfie Mobile is a member of the Think Lab for Business Integrity, created in cooperation with the UN Global Compact and UNODC. A total of 25 companies worldwide were selected to join the group, including one Georgian company – Cellfie Mobile, represented by its Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer.
In an interview with GEORGIA TODAY BUSINESS, Ia Mameishvili spoke in detail about participation in the UN Summit and the UN Future Summit, action plans and agreements created within them to tackle the global challenges, and Cellfie Mobile’s contribution.
“The UN Leaders’ Summit and UN Summit of the Future are significant global events that bring together heads of state, representatives from various sectors, and civil society to discuss global challenges,” Ia Mameishvili tells us. “The Summit of the Future is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how to deliver a better present and safeguard the future. The Summit took place in September 2024, within the high-level week of 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.”
What issues did you touch upon in your speech? Why was participation in those events important for Cellfie Mobile?
I had the honor to speak at the UN Leaders’ Summit and participate in a multi-stakeholder panel discussion about ‘Rights & Bytes: Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence and Corporate Responsibility for Human Rights.’ We discussed the crucial role of the private sector in promoting responsible AI development, investment, and use while advancing human rights in an AI age, looking at how companies can encourage AI risk assessment, and analyzing privacy risks and how they can be mitigated.
By participating in such events, companies can broaden their horizons, have a pulse on new or upcoming developments, and align their strategies with global initiatives, demonstrating their commitment to social responsibility and sustainable development.
What important documents, agreements and action plans were developed at those summits by world leaders?
During the 79th UNGA High-level Week, Heads of State and Government and other national representatives gathered to set out their priorities and discuss global challenges in order to advance peace, security and sustainable development. As a result, world leaders adopted a Pact for the Future that includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.
What are your future plans related to those summits? What impact will participation in them have on the company’s future strategy?
It was a great experience attending the Summit of the Future, Leaders’ Summit and other side events organized by Global Compact local networks and member companies. In my opinion, not just participation but in general, aligning the company mission with Sustainable Development Goals, can guide strategic decision-making and prioritize initiatives that contribute to global well-being, at the end making the company a healthier, better corporate citizen with enhanced brand reputation, better employee engagement and retention, investment attraction, efficient risk management and long term vision.
As a representative of Cellfie Mobile, you were selected among 25 participant companies globally to participate in the Think Lab for Business Integrity working group. Tell us about it.
As Cellfie Mobile is a member of the UN Global Compact Network Georgia, I, as it’s representative and a member of the Peer Learning Group on Business Integrity and Collective Action Against Corruption, actively participate in local meetings and initiatives. At the beginning of 2024, I was invited to participate in the Business Integrity Think Lab.
A little background of the Business Integrity Think Lab: In 2011, the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group tasked the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the World Bank to “bring together existing guidelines and related material on private sector anti-corruption compliance in one, easily accessible, location.” As a result, an Anti-Corruption Ethics and Compliance Handbook was jointly developed, including with input received from the International Bar Association, the International Chamber of Commerce, the World Economic Forum Partnering against Corruption Initiative, Transparency International, the Basel Institute on Governance, and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. A Practical Guide was published by UNODC in 2013.
By participating in such events, companies can broaden their horizons, have a pulse on new or upcoming developments, and align their strategies with global initiatives
While the standards set out by the practical guide remain relevant, the business environment has shifted, creating new priorities and complexities for companies. To help businesses navigate these challenges, at the beginning of 2024, UN Global Compact launched the Think Lab for Business Integrity as the next step in private sector thought leadership. The Think Lab seeks the revision of the guide so that it will remain relevant, continuing to provide critical insights for companies to better respond to new realities, both internally and in their operating environments, enhancing business integrity around the world.
Participation in the Think Lab is by invitation only. While it’s difficult to list all the criteria from our position, a few criteria for business participation could include: Companies must be participants of the UN Global Compact; Companies must demonstrate a track record of engaging with the UN Global Compact, especially in the Governance & Anti-Corruption portfolio; companies should pass the UN Global Compact due diligence process; companies should be supported by recommendations by UNGC networks, etc.
Participation in the Business Integrity Think Lab included a series of virtual meetings and consultations to provide input on the relevance and impact of the changing business landscape for the guide. We had a one-on-one interview with selected contributors (Cellfie Mobile among them) on specific topics of the guide, giving us a chance to share our feedback on specific matters that should be integrated into the working draft of the guide. The final version of the revised guide should be ready for publication in 2025.
Cellfie Mobile is the only Georgian company among 25 global companies selected as a participant of the Business Integrity Think Lab. We understand our responsibility as a corporate citizen of our country and are always ready to stand at the forefront of initiatives for a better future, one of which is fighting against the global challenge – corruption.
What are the key elements of an effective Anti-bribery and Corruption compliance program, and how can businesses leverage both internal cooperation and external engagement to mitigate corruption risks and positively impact society?
Cellfie Mobile started development of its Anti-bribery and Corruption compliance program in 2015. Our compliance program is strongly linked to our corporate values – Customer focused, Innovative, Entrepreneurial, Collaborative and TRUTHFUL. The last value expresses commitment to business ethics and integrity. It’s said that value-led compliance programs are far stronger than programs running separately and in parallel with business operations.
As corruption and bribery stands as one of the foremost challenges worldwide, an ABC compliance program is essential for organizations to prevent, detect, and respond to bribery and corruption risks by managing conflicts of interests, potential bias and subjective loyalties (e.g. provoked by G&H), business partner due diligence, charitable contributions and sponsorships, bonuses and incentives and many other directions. Continued monitoring and assessment are vital to keep program efficiency.
Our focus is not only internal cooperation between assurance and business functions, but also on external activities. The more aware the business community is about ABC-related risks, the better those risks can be managed and mitigated for business, country, and ultimately for every citizen, as corruption affects not only specific decisions, but the wellbeing of ordinary citizens as well, their socio-economic status and accessibility to regular services.
Our primary goal is to keep current and further improve our value-based compliance program, not only for ourselves, but for the business community, by sharing the lessons we learn through conferences, workshops, Think Labs, Task Forces, Business partnerships, etc.
