International organizations, especially church relief organizations and mission organizations in development cooperation, face a multitude of expectations from their stakeholders. In addition, they face the challenges of multiple global crises and changing values in society in Germany as well as in the countries of their partner organizations and cooperation partners.

Although compliance programs have been implemented in all church aid agencies and mission organizations in development cooperation to ensure compliance with laws, cooperation agreements and administrative project agreements, corruption and non-compliance occur time and again.

A credible and effective compliance system is so important for an organization because it is a crucial prerequisite for building trust among stakeholders. Church relief organizations and mission organizations in development cooperation in particular depend on the trust of donors, partner organizations, government funders and the public in order to be able to exist and grow successfully in the long term.

For this reason, it is essential for church relief and mission organizations in particular to be aware of the main compliance risks and to implement an effective compliance system in order to manage risks with the necessary care. Compliance measures are thus also an important investment in trustworthiness and future security.

If an organization aligns itself and its compliance system with integrity as the highest value, it signals that it will keep its promises and that ethical standards will be upheld within the organization. Such a compliance system relies on integrity management, which encourages managers and employees to act on their own responsibility and supports this through a good leadership and organizational culture.