Preamble
The Centre for Geopolitics and International Policy, operates under Department of Research and Strategy, of a non-profit organization, the Pan African Voice. Aware of the importance of endowing the Centre with a Code of Ethics embodying the values to which it is committed and which it shall ensure is upheld by all members as defined under Section 11 (1) and 17 (2) of Act No. 24 of 2002 and the Pan African Voice General Regulations.
Article 1: Object of the Code
The object of the present Code, which complements provisions of the General Regulations governing establishment of an Ethics Committee, is to specify the principles and values Centre members are expected to observe and uphold.
Article 2: Principles and Values of the Centre
The Centre operates in accordance with the following guiding principles:
2.1. Independence
The Centre shall operate in complete independence from public and private institutions and donors.
Members shall not receive instructions or recommendations from anyone in the conduct of their duties.
Moreover, no member of government or parliament, nor anyone holding executive responsibilities in a political party, shall hold office in any of the Centre’s branches.
2.2. Impartiality
Members of the Centre shall uphold the values of neutrality and objectivity towards authorities, organizations and other partners of the Centre, free from partisan considerations.
2.3. Integrity
Members shall conduct themselves in a fair and honest manner and shall strive to prevent and avoid any situation likely to create a liability to anyone or hinder the performance of their duties and the pursuit of the Centre's objectives.
2.4. Loyalty
Members shall carry out their duties in accordance with the directions and decisions of the Centre's governing bodies.
2.5. Respect
Members shall exercise consideration, discretion and courtesy in all interactions with anyone with whom they come into contact in carrying out assigned duties and responsibilities.
2.6. Diversity and Integrity of Research
The Centre is a neutral institution that promotes diversity and respects the freedom of opinion of members. This freedom is applied in compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks governing, inter alia, privacy, use of personal data, copyrights and related rights.
Article 3: Transparency
The Centre is committed to the principle of transparency. It shall disclose its activities in an annual report. Furthermore, its accounts shall be audited annually by an independent auditor.
Article 4: Conflict of Interest
Should a member encounter a conflict of interest, he/she shall immediately inform the Head of Research and Strategy Department who may decide to submit the matter to the Ethics Committee.
Article 5: Confidentiality
Where a member has access, in the course of his/her duties or mission, to information deemed confidential by the Centre, he/she is prohibited from using it to his/her benefit or that of a third party.
Article 6: Member Responsibility
Members shall abide by the principle of benevolence, always mindful of the protection of individuals and/or institutions involved in their work and always seeking to serve the public interest.
When the work involves individuals, members shall obtain prior free and unequivocal consent. Specifically, they shall ensure that these parties are legally competent to enter such commitments, that they act voluntarily and that they have access to sufficient, complete and comprehensible information to enable an informed choice.
In the event of non-compliance with provisions of this charter, the defaulting member shall be notified in writing of any allegation against him/her and shall have the right to be heard by the Ethics Committee and/or provide the Committee with any evidence deemed relevant.
Article 7: Prohibited Conduct
Members shall refrain from any conduct that is intended to tarnish the Centre’s image, distort attribution of authorship, and/or present results of their work in a biased manner. Likewise, all forms of discrimination on the basis of origin, sex, beliefs or any other personal circumstance whatsoever are prohibited.
Article 8: Governing body
The Ethics Committee instituted by Article 3 of the General Regulations of the Centre shall oversee the implementation of the present Code of Ethics.
Article 9: Effective date
The present Code shall come into effect upon adoption by the Centre's Board of Directors and shall be communicated to all Centre members.