Instituting good governance through research, advice, and training

Thematic Areas

GovRisk offers research, training, and consulting expertise across a wide range of technical areas within the sphere of financial crime, integrity, governance, and transparency. This includes:

 

FINANCIAL CRIME PREVENTION

Technical assistance and advisory support on all aspects of financial crime prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution, including preparation and follow-up for relevant international assessments (e.g. FATF Mutual Evaluations).

 

ANTI-CORRUPTION

Capacity-building and technical assistance to support anti-corruption efforts from legal reform and prevention initiatives through to prosecution.

 

PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Programmes and initiatives supporting the increased efficiency, transparency, and accountability of public entities’ expenditure, policies, and programmes. This includes public procurement digitalisation and legislative reform.

 

IMPROVING THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

Promoting improved regulation of the business environment, corporate compliance, and accountability, and fostering dialogue and effective partnerships between public policy-makers and the private sector.

 

JUDICIAL REFORM

Promoting the improved efficiency of judicial processes and procedures in line with international best practice.

 

Our approach

GovRisk combines exceptional project management with an internationally-recognised faculty of experts. We work collaboratively with our clients to deliver transformative impact in highly tailored projects, on time, and on budget. We value partnerships so no matter where we work we aim to foster inter-agency cooperation and build effective relationships and networks in order to ensure sustained impact on skills, working practice, and culture.

Where we have worked

GovRisk has delivered programmes across 6 continents and in over 55 countries. We have particular expertise and networks in Latin America, China, SouthEast Asia, and Africa, but our faculty and experience allow us to tailor our approach and deliver high-impact programmes in any jurisdiction. 

GovRisk has registered offices in the UK, Peru, and Australia.

Project highlights

GovRisk has more than a decade of experience delivering expert consulting, advisory, and training support to public and private institutions. Thanks to our extensive faculty and networks, we are able to deliver projects of all sizes. Our portfolio comprises multi-year legislative reform programmes as well as short research assignments and conference organisation.

Our project funding comes from various sources

GovRisk has a successful track record of working directly with governments worldwide, as well as delivering projects for donors and multilateral organisations. Our clients include the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), UK Department for International Trade (DIT), the European Union (EU), the World Bank (WB), the United Nations (UN), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the US Department of State (DOS) among others. We also work in direct partnership with private sector clients.

We love to work collaboratively

GovRisk has both technical and project management expertise to design and deliver our clients’ projects, but we also frequently partner with other organisations on large or multifaceted programmes.   

 *Below is a non-exhaustive representation of our projects

Selected Projects:

  • Western Balkans Rule of Law Initiative (WBROLI)

    Western Balkans

    GovRisk is working in partnership with Chemonics in the delivery of the Western Balkans Rule of Law Initiative (WBROLI), a six-country programme aiming to contribute to high level UK Government objectives related to reducing the threat and impact of Serious and Organised Crime (SOC), including corruption and illicit financial flows in the Western Balkans and its impact on the UK. WBROLI comprises two workstreams which aim to promote the application of the principles of democratic governance:

    i) Criminal justice

    ii) Transparency & accountability.

    GovRisk has been working across both workstreams since July 2022, acting as the lead implementer for the programme’s anti-corruption work in BiH and as a key delivery partner for criminal justice reform interventions Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro.

    GovRisk’s work on WBROLI focuses on two key areas in the different jurisdictions: strengthening the anti- corruption regime at the cantonal level in Sarajevo and strengthening the criminal justice systems which work to fight SOC and corruption in Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro.

  • Modernising China’s Anti-Money Laundering Framework

    China

    In its role as the principal technical advisor to China on anti-money laundering, GovRisk delivered the AML strand of the China Business Environment Programme (BEP), funded by the FCDO. This was a continuation of technical assistance which GovRisk had been providing in collaboration with the People’s Bank of China (PBC) since 2016.

    This programme supported China’s on-going efforts to modernise its AML regime in line with the standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and worked with a variety of stakeholders to deliver technical assistance across a broad range of focus areas, including beneficial ownership, supervision, and use of financial intelligence. As part of this work, GovRisk also conducted extensive in-person and online training of Chinese officials and organised technical visits to the UK for both public and private sector representatives.

    This programme has allowed us to build an extensive and trusted network of Chinese public and private sector organisations and to create an inter-institutional debate fostering the alignment of international best practice.

  • Transparency and Accountability in Public Investment (TAPI)

    Peru

    GovRisk is a key subcontractor to Chemonics in the delivery of this five year programme which launched in 2020. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), it is designed to develop integrity standards to be applied by regional governments delivering public works, which will be monitored by integrity networks made up of civil society and private sector representatives. GovRisk is responsible for the delivery of activities designed to contribute to strengthening prevention, control, and supervision mechanisms to reduce corruption at the regional and national level.

    This includes supporting the following: the application and monitoring of an Integrity Index; the development of an effective methodology for detecting and managing corruption risk and integrity gaps; the application of Simultaneous Control in prioritised investment projects; the implementation of an improved risk management methodology; the application of the Integrity Standards; and the development of an online corruption reporting system for citizens.

  • Business Integrity Initiative

    Kenya | Mexico

    This cross-governmental programme is funded by the DIT and FCDO. The initiative connects several of Britain’s strategic priorities, including: ‘Reaching Export 2020 with Integrity’, UK 2017-2022 Anti-Corruption Strategy, ‘Global Britain’ strategy, or the House of Lords Select Committee on the Review of the Bribery Act.

    In 2018, GovRisk delivered the pilot project under this initiative, working in partnership with DIT to develop the first iteration of integrity content for GREAT.gov.uk in line with Government Digital Service and wider commitments made by the FCO and DIT to boost assistance to UK companies to increase investment in high-risk markets. GovRisk then acted as the Monitoring and Learning agent on the country pilots in Kenya and Mexico and has since established itself as a strategic advisor to Her Majesty’s Government (HMG), recommending the most effective, impactful, and efficient ways to continue this initiative and facilitate a global roll-out.

  • Sports Integrity Summit

    Brazil

    In October 2019 GovRisk, in partnership with Genius Sports, hosted a landmark, multi-stakeholder Sports Integrity Summit in Brazil. This was the first summit bringing together policy makers, athletes, investigators, prosecutors, the betting industry, as well as representatives of the UN and other international organisations to discuss issues at the intersection of corruption, organised crime, betting, and sports integrity.

    Five expert panels discussed the importance of integrity in professional sport; the growing relevance of technology in identifying suspicious betting activities; the dangers of illegal betting markets; the impact that legislative and regulatory changes can have and the possible ways to create networks of local, national, and global cooperation with legislators, regulators, enforcement agencies, promoters, data providers, and betting operators to avoid manipulation of game results.

    The Summit resulted in a pledge by participating representatives from both the public and private sectors to create a Task Force to ensure continuous cooperation towards the design of Brazil’s regulatory framework.

  • Mexico Anti-Corruption and Rule of Law (ACROL)

    Mexico

    ACROL is a four-year programme launched in 2019 under the cross-governmental UK Prosperity Fund. The programme works with a range of state and federal level institutions with the aim of strengthening Mexico’s criminal justice system, thereby contributing to poverty reduction, improved gender equality and inclusive economic development.

    Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the programme activities are designed to improve the capacity of Mexican authorities to prevent, detect and investigate three serious crime types: homicide, embezzlement, and cyber-crime. Working together with PA Consulting, GovRisk supplies expertise and advisory support across a range of technical, capacity-building, and knowledge-sharing interventions for each crime type.

Our work is
underpinned by:

  • Made to measure support

    We know that no two clients are the same and we pride ourselves on the ability to apply our knowledge in a range of country, legal, institutional, and cultural settings. GovRisk projects build on deep understanding of the local context to provide assistance that is sensitive to the needs of diverse stakeholders and focused on highly practical and immediately applicable guidance.

  • A world-renowned faculty of experts

    Our network of highly skilled practitioners, policymakers, and trainers affords us the flexibility to respond to diverse project needs. Whether designing a legal framework, preparing for a national-level assessment, or training in-house, we’ll put together a team which is right for your needs and made up of experts who are leading the way in their respective fields.

  • At the cutting edge

    Wherever possible our work is closely aligned with relevant international standards, guidelines, and frameworks. These structures not only provide an impetus for reform, but they ensure the results of our work are measurable against internationally recognised benchmarks. Good practice is constantly evolving so we keep our eyes on the horizon to ensure our advice takes into account the latest innovations and developments in legal and regulatory requirements.

  • A long-term view

    In line with our commitment to delivering positive, lasting change, our projects are designed with sustainability in mind. This means working collaboratively with local actors, making use of existing structures, and setting up our technical support as a spring-board for on-going reform. We are invested in progress beyond our project timeline and we leave our clients with the tools and knowledge required to champion reforms well into the future.