Bed Net Dialogue: Getting Life-Saving Nets Where They Need to Be, On Time
Protecting the health of millions of people at-risk of malaria depends on an efficient bed net procurement system. Through the GBC-led Bed Net Dialogue, companies manufacturing insecticide treated bed nets and retreatment kits recommended by the World Health Organization Pesticides Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES) are working with other key stakeholders to pro-actively remove the bottlenecks and other roadblocks that have created inefficiencies in the distribution of bed nets to areas in need.
These steps are improving the transparency and good governance of bed net procurement. Through the dialogue GBC and Industry participants have created an action plan to ensure the long-term economic sustainability of the industry, a critical component to ensuring that bed nets and other anti-malaria interventions continue to be promoted in endemic regions.
The global health community has embarked on a massive scale up effort to provide 250 million bed nets in Africa by the end of 2010. Given the huge capital investments to rapidly scale up the production of bed nets, the Bed Net Dialogue is helping to enhance best practices, improve quality assurance and create a stronger supply chain and procurement mechanism.
Companies currently participating in the dialogue include:
- A-to-Z Textile Mills (observer)
- Bayer Environmental Science
- BASF
- Bestnet
- Clarke Mosquito Control
- Syngenta
- Sumitomo Chemical
- Tana Netting (observer)
- Vestergaard Frandsen
Transparency and Good Governance Planning Underway
In October, GBC brought together key donor and multilateral stakeholders to develop a strategic plan to improve transparency and good governance for bed net procurement. Participants discussed expanding implementation of transparent procurement practices, and the need to develop better coordination around needs assessment and distribution in malaria endemic countries.
Industry Action Commitments
Leading manufacturers of bed nets and retreatment kits have agreed upon the following industry action commitments, which serve as the basis for future engagements with key government, multilateral and donor stakeholders in the bed net procurement process.
1. Commitment to general principles of transparency & good governance (Codes of Conducts)
2. Priority focus of action: compliance with law (competition and foreign trade law), business practices against corruption/bribery (including gifts), conflict of interest policies and monitoring and standards of documentation and financial reporting.
3. Strengthened compliance mechanisms
- Compliance Training
- Mechanisms for Reporting Concerns/Violations
- Auditing and Monitoring
Improving Global Bed Net Procurement: Stakeholder Action Proposal was developed after the initial dialogue meetings, which includes a more detailed description of the Industry Action Commitments.
» Read Improving Global Bed Net Procurement: Stakeholder Action Proposal
Industry Certification- Public Certification Process
The manufacturers have reinforced their commitments by submitting formal statements certifying compliance with the Industry Action Commitments. Certification demonstrates that signatory companies are committed to promoting a procurement process characterized by strong business ethics, transparency, and good governance. A compliance questionnaire/checklist was developed as a tool to help each company to determine if its internal policies satisfy the commitments. The questionnaire/checklist also provides guidance on procedures and policies companies should have or consider putting in place to achieve compliance. GBC serves as the central depository for these certifications but the industry is solely responsible for the veracity of the certification and for compliance with the Industry Action Commitments.
In addition to the compliance questionnaire/checklist, GBC provided a Model Certification Statement to each participating company as a template that could be used and adapted as necessary. The Certification Statement is an attestation that the Industry Action Commitments are satisfied in their respective internal policies and/or reflects how and why internal policies may depart from the Industry Action Commitments.
Some companies have chosen to file Interim Certification Statements to indicate that they are in the process of assessing and reporting compliance with the Industry Action Commitments. The Interim Certification Statement will be replaced by a final Certification Statement as each company completes its compliance process.
» Review the Bed Net Dialogue's Compliance Questionnaire and Checklist
» Download Model Certification Statement template
Download Certification Statements for:
The Bed Net Dialogue thanks Joseph Wayland (Partner at Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett LLP) and Prof. Michael Santoro (Business Ethics Professor, Rutgers University and Special Advisor to GBC) for their expert support.
