Who are we?

ISO/TC 309 Governance of Organizations was established in September 2016 to develop international standards in the field of organizational governance. Its scope covers the principles, systems and mechanisms through which organizations are directed, controlled and held accountable.

What do we want to achieve?

The global organizational landscape is rapidly evolving, with increasing expectations from stakeholders and society regarding transparency, integrity and responsible conduct. These shifts highlight the need for a shared international understanding of what constitutes good governance. Because these changes are happening worldwide, this understanding must be grounded in global, consensus-based standards.

There is a growing acknowledgement that governance and management serve distinct purposes. Governance focuses on the direction, oversight and accountability of an organization, while management involves day-to-day operations and control. ISO/TC 309 develops deliverables for both domains—standards that guide governance practices as well as tools that support effective organizational control, such as whistleblowing arrangements, compliance programmes and anti-bribery systems.

Through this work, ISO/TC 309 produces globally relevant International Standards that support:

• Governance and governance systems, and

• Management and management systems,

helping organizations of all types strengthen integrity, accountability and performance.

Published Standards

 

Governance of Organizations

• ISO 37000:2021 – Governance of organizations — Guidance

• ISO 37004:2023 – Governance maturity model — Guidance

• ISO 37005:2024 – Developing indicators for effective governance

• ISO 37008:2023 – Internal investigations of organizations — Guidance

• ISO 37009:2025 – Conflict of interest in organizations — Guidance

Anti-bribery & Integrity Systems

• ISO 37001:2016 – Anti-bribery management systems — Requirements with guidance for use

• ISO 37001:2016/Amd 1:2024 – Climate action changes

Compliance Management

• ISO 37301:2021 – Compliance management systems — Requirements with guidance for use

• ISO 37301:2021/Amd 1:2024 – Climate action changes

• ISO 37302 – Guidelines for the evaluation of compliance effectiveness

• ISO 37303 – Guidelines for competence management in compliance

Whistleblowing

• ISO 37002:2021 – Whistleblowing management systems — Guidelines

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Standards Under Development

 

Governance & Organizational Systems

• ISO 37006 – Indicators of effective organizational governance — Guidance (in development)

• ISO 37011 – Purpose driven organizations — Guidance (in development)

• ISO 37014 – Governance maturity for groups of organizations — Guidance (in development)

Anti-bribery & Fraud

• ISO 37001 (Second Edition) – Anti-bribery management systems (in development)

• ISO 37003 – Fraud control management systems — Guidance (in development)

Human Rights & Social Responsibility

• ISO 37200 – Managing the risk of modern slavery (in development; est. 2026)

• ISO 37201 – Management systems to prevent and combat violence against women (in development)

• ISO 37202 – Safeguarding (in development)

Diversity & Inclusion

• ISO 37401 – Diversity management systems — Requirements with guidance for use (in development)

Anti-Money Laundering

• ISO 37013 – Anti-Money Laundering — Guidance (in development) 

Our Members

Our expanding membership demonstrates the increasing global recognition of governance as a distinct and essential discipline. ISO/TC 309 brings together experts from national standards bodies worldwide, supported by active participation from key external liaison organizations. These include ACCA, EBRD, ecoDa, FIEC, IFC, ISACA, OECD, The Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) and ICDPSAO, all of which contribute valuable perspectives to our work.

IT Governance

Standards specifically related to IT governance are developed by a separate committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 40, which focuses on the governance and management of IT, including digital services and related technologies. ISO/TC 309 collaborates as appropriate to ensure alignment across governance standards.