Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
This statement is made by the GSM Association (the “GSMA”) as the parent company, and on behalf of all relevant subsidiaries, pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the “Act”).
About the GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive.
Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach.
This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.
Our Commitment
We are committed to conducting our business with the utmost integrity and to the highest ethical standards through implementing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery does not occur in any of the GSMA’s operations globally or in any of our supply chains. We have demonstrated this commitment with our Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking policy and inclusion of this requirement in our Supplier Code of Conduct and the GSMA Code of Conduct.
We require the same commitment from all our contractors and suppliers and, as part of our contracting processes, we have included specific prohibitions against the use of forced, compulsory or trafficked labour in our contractual terms and conditions. We also expect our suppliers to hold their own suppliers to the same high standards.
We have a complex and dispersed supply chain so have instituted a process of reviewing business relationships for the following ‘red flags’ that may indicate a risk of modern slavery being present directly in our own business or in that of a supplier:
- High risk indicators present – We review relationships in high-risk countries (e.g., according to the globalslaveryindex.org,) and industries (e.g., hospitality) with extra scrutiny.
- Supplier’s using sub-contractors – Any entity which provides goods or services to the GSMA, even those outside our direct control, must adhere to the GSMA Supplier Code of Conduct and Anti-slavery contractual provisions. Where they sub-contract their obligations they are contractually obliged to ensure the sub-supplier selected also adheres to the same standards the GSMA expects of them.
Training on modern slavery forms part of the induction process for all individuals who work for the GSMA and refresher training on a regular scheduled basis occurs for all employees across the organisation.
Through our compliance framework and Speak Up policy we recommend any concerns be raised internally through the Risk & Compliance function, or through our independently managed Whistleblowing process that allows such issues to be raised confidentially.
This reporting line is also appropriate for non- employees and can be used accordingly, as detailed here
Individuals can also report any suspected incidents of modern slavery, whether related to the GSMA or otherwise, to:
- Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700 (UK); or
- The Global Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-844-888-FREE (help@befree.org)
We are and remain committed to improving our practices to combat modern slavery and human trafficking both now and in the future.
Louise Easterbrook
GSMA Chief Financial Officer