The websites listed below provide useful facts on Venezuela as well as contacts and tools for companies operating in Venezuela:

• International Finance Corporation: Latin America & the Caribbean SME Toolkit (in Spanish)
  Guide to sustainable business management practices for SMEs.
• Business Fighting Corruption
  An online resource centre for business on collective action to avoid corruption, which contains a guide and resources for partnerships with companies and other stakeholders to fight against corruption.
• CIA World Factbook: Venezuela Profile
• World Bank: Venezuela Data Profile

Sources for further reading:

• US Department of State: Investment Climate Statement - Venezuela 2011.
• US Department of State: Human Rights Report - Venezuela 2010.
• Freedom House: Freedom in the World - Venezuela 2010.
• The Bertelsmann Foundation: Transformation Index - Venezuela 2010.
• Global Integrity: Venezuela Country Report 2009.

UNCAC Status: Signed 10 December 2003. Ratified 2 February 2009.

Status on UNCAC Implementation
This field describes the country's status on the United Nations Convention against Corruption. Please note any declarations and reservations made upon ratification. The list of signatories can be found on the UNODC website. Read more about the UNCAC.

Other Relevant Conventions or Treaties:

• Inter-American Convention against Corruption: Signed 22 May 1997. Ratified 2 June 1997.
  Read Transparency International's summary and assessment of the convention.
• United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime: Signed 14 December 2000. Ratified 13 May 2002.
  Read Transparency International's summary and assessment of the convention.

Transparency CPI: 2011: 172/182 (Score: 1.9)

Transparency CPI
This field consists of the score for the country in question on the Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International as well as its ranking.

World Bank CORR Index (-2.5 - +2.5): 2010: - 1.9

World Bank Corruption Index
This field consists of the score for the country in question on the 'Control of Corruption' indicator in the World Bank Governance Research Indicator Country Snapshot (GRICS): 1996-2010.

OECD Country Risk Classification (0-7): 2011: 7

Country Risk Classification
The classification of countries by risk category has the aim of providing OECD countries with a basis for calculating the premium interest rate to be charged to cover the risk of non-repayment of export credits. Countries are placed in risk categories 0 - 7, with 0 being the lowest risk category and thus the least expensive. Conversely, premium group 7 is the highest risk category. Each classification is comprised of 2 components: 1) an assessment of the country's economic/financial situation, and 2) its overall political stability. Access the complete list of OECD Country Risk Classification figures.

Data Verification:

Publication date: June 2011

Data verified by: Global Advice Network