Code of Conduct and Policies

• Acted Code of Conduct
• Acted Organisational Policies
• Acted Complaints and Response Mechanisms

Acted Code of Conduct is core to the organisation, its team, operations and management. The Code of Conduct provides clear guidance on the standards of behavior and conduct all staff are required to abide by. Those standards are as follows:

1. I will respect others
2. I will maintain high standards of conduct, both personal and professional
3. I will commit to protect Acted’s beneficiaries
4. I will ensure to be attentive to the safety & security of myself & others
5. I will protect Acted’s resources and assets
6. I will protect the confidentiality of Acted’s information and data
7. I will report any incident or concern relating to this Code

This Code of Conduct is binding on all Acted staff, including Acted’s employees, volunteers, interns and freelance consultants, both international and national, whether they are based in Acted headquarters or in the field, who have to sign the Code, as well as fully understand its content, adhere to all of its provisions, inform and report, while creating a working environment conducive to upholding the standards in the Code of Conduct.

Acted Code of Conduct is governed notably by:

• Anti-Fraud Policy
• Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Money Laundering Policy
• Child Protection Policy
• Conflict of Interest Prevention Policy
• Data Protection Policy
• Environmental and Social Protection Policy
• Gender Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Policy against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

Acted adopts a zero tolerance approach towards corruption and is committed to respecting the highest standards in terms of efficiency, responsibility and transparency in its activities. To this end, Acted’s Anti-fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy:
▪ Encourages prevention;
▪ Promotes detection;
▪ Sets out a clear investigation procedure;
▪ Sets out a mechanism of sanctions.

Acted is guided by three main principles related to anti-fraud and corruption:
▪ Anti-Fraud and corruption: Acted refuses to support fraudulent actions directly or indirectly and undertakes to minimize risks of corruption in the implementation of its activities.
▪ Transparency and accountability: Acted commits to be fully accountable and transparent towards its beneficiaries, partners, and financial donors, by providing access to information regarding the allocation and management of its funds. Acted undertakes to have in hand all necessary tools to ensure the correct
management of its operations.
▪ Professionalism: Acted bases its design, implementation, management and evaluation of programmes on high standards of professionalism and capitalises on its experience in order to maximize efficiency and resources

Acted denounces all forms of terrorism and will never knowingly support, tolerate or encourage terrorism or the activities of those who use and/or finance terrorism. In accordance with United Nations Security Council’s resolutions, in particular S/RES/1269 (1999), S/RES/1368 (2001) and S/RES/1373 (2001) and the international instruments relating to the fight against terrorism, Acted is firmly committed to the international fight against terrorism, and in particular against the financing of terrorism and any related activities, in particular the laundering of funds of illicit origin. It is Acted’s policy to ensure that none of its funds and those of its donors are used, directly or indirectly, to support individuals or entities associated with terrorism or to launder funds derived from illegal activities.

As an NGO operating in many countries, Acted recognizes that children within the communities with which Acted works or comes into contact constitute a particularly vulnerable population group. As such, they are at greater risk of violence, negligence, abuse and exploitation – particularly in disaster and emergency contexts, where their
protective environment is severely affected.

Acted is aware that the goods and services provided through its programmes, particularly in emergency and disaster situations, can create an imbalance in the relationship between those employed by Acted or associated with the NGO, as defined in Article 2 of this policy, and programme beneficiaries. Acted recognizes that this power imbalance can be exploited and instrumentalized. This child protection policy demonstrates Acted’s commitment to protecting children within the framework of its internal procedures and all of its external coordination, and in particular for the implementation of child protection programmes and the transversal integration of this issue in all of its interventions.

This Child Protection Policy demonstrates Acted’s commitment to protect children within the framework of its internal procedures and overall external coordination, and in particular for the implementation of child protection programmes and the mainstreaming of this issue during all its interventions. This policy also clarifies, for all those working for Acted, what is required in terms of child protection. It also specifies that all violations of children’s rights, in whatever form, are unacceptable for Acted and will be sanctioned.

In order to ensure the most efficient, accountable and transparent delivery of aid, Acted, its staff and partners are committed to preventing any conflict between their private interests and their duties. It is their responsibility to avoid such conflicts, whether actual, potential or likely to appear as such. Under no circumstances may Acted personnel or other associated entities take undue advantage of their professional position for their personal benefit. The Conflict of Interest and Reporting Policy is intended to provide guidance to Acted employees and partners, while encouraging prevention, promoting detection, and providing a clear investigation procedure.

Acted is committed to respecting the highest standards in terms of efficiency, responsibility and transparency in its activities. To this end, Acted’s Conflict of Interest Prevention Policy:
▪ Encourages prevention;
▪ Promotes detection;
▪ Sets out a clear investigation procedure;
▪ Sets out a mechanism of sanctions.

Acted takes privacy protection very seriously. Respect for privacy and the protection of personal data is a factor of trust, a value to which Acted is particularly committed, by focusing on respect for fundamental rights and freedoms. This Data Protection Policy illustrates Acted’s commitment to privacy and the
protection of Personal Data.

The purpose of this Policy is to present the main principles related to the protection of Personal Data that Acted implements in the framework of all its activities

Acted commits to act for environmental protection by promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies including reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, regenerative natural resource management, management of waste and pollution, and conservation of biodiversity.

We believe that all human activities should be conducted in a way that preserve and enhance the health and vitality of our planet for present and future generations. Consequently, Acted aims to reduce its carbon footprint by at least 30% by 2025.

Further, Acted commits to act for social justice and human rights, notably through promotion of social protection and respect for local populations and heritage. We understand our responsibility to ensure that our work is carried out in a way that respects the dignity, rights, and capacity of all individuals and communities with whom we engage.

This Environmental and Social Protection Policy (ESPP) provides a framework for Acted’s efforts to protect the environments of the people it serves while working towards a 3ZERO world.

Tackling all forms of inequity, including gender inequality, is crucial for sustainable and peaceful development. Gender inequality is about unequal power relations between women and men leading to unequal opportunities to live in dignity and develop oneself to one’s full potential.

For Acted, working on gender means working with women, men, girls, and boys from different backgrounds, and to promote gender equality. By addressing gender inequality, more  balanced power distribution between men and women will be reached, and the rights of women and girls, as well as men and boys, enhanced. In line with SDG #5, which confirmed gender equality as a universally recognised core development objective, and the shared belief that gender equality is a fundamental human right, Acted is committed to achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. To this end, this policy serves to remove structural barriers to gender equality, and challenge the distribution of resources and allocation of duties between men and women within Acted, and within the framework of all our programming.

Acted adopts a zero-tolerance approach to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, and is therefore committed to preventing them both within the organisation and within the framework of its programmes and for the beneficiary populations. Any direct or indirect participation in sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment within the meaning of the Acted Policy is prohibited for Acted staff and other associated entities and partners.

To this end, Acted’s Policy Against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment:
▪ Encourages prevention;
▪ Promotes detection;
▪ Sets out a clear investigation procedure;
▪ Sets out a mechanism of sanctions

Acted’s Grievance Policy is the framework for handling grievances raised internally by Acted employees, in accordance with professional standards, through internal channels with appropriate reporting, response and follow-up.

Acted adopts a zero tolerance approach towards inappropriate misbehaviour and is committed to respecting the highest standards in terms of efficiency, responsibility and transparency in its activities. To this end, Acted’s Grievance Policy:
▪ Encourages prevention;
▪ Promotes detection;
▪ Sets out a clear investigation procedure;
▪ Sets out a mechanism of sanctions.

Acted has four Complaints and Reporting Mechanisms aimed at collecting and answering any concerns, issues or questions arising on the application of Acted’s Code of Conduct and organisational policies. These mechanisms streamlined throughout Acted are means of ensuring effective multi-channel communications within Acted teams as well as with partners, stakeholders, beneficiaries and surrounding communities.

Acted Complaints and Reporting Mechanisms are both global and country-based. They focus on:

1. ACTED FEEDBACK MECHANISM
   Acted Feedback Mechanism is in place for the population Acted serves to raise concerns and give feedback on activities, staff, partners.
   All complaints are welcome and responded as quickly as possible. Such a mechanisms allows Acted for more relevance, impact and do no harm in its activities, while improving the quality of our work, enhancing the trust and confidence of our beneficiaries, identifying areas of our work which need to be improved, and ensuring experience and best practice learning.
2. TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM
   Acted has adopted a participative approach with the aim of promoting and guaranteeing transparency within the organisation. A mechanism dedicated to reporting cases of corruption, fraud, conflicts of interest, exploitation, abuse, sexual harassment and child protection has been set up. Make your report on the Transparency Line platform, managed by the Investigations unit of the Transparency & Compliance department at head office. If you are unable to access the platform, please send an email to transparency@acted.org.
3. SECURITY AND SAFETY (internal)
   The aim of safety and security management is to reduce personal and organisational vulnerability to risk. Reducing the exposure of teams and the organisation to risk requires a detailed and up-to-date understanding of the context, in order to be able to adapt to different and changing situations. The reporting and sharing of accurate, up-to-date information contributes to the implementation of effective security policies and appropriate, useful procedures. Acted therefore has a security incident reporting mechanism whereby Acted staff who witness, directly or indirectly, a situation which may have implications for the security of the organisation and its teams, report incidents, enabling a rapid and appropriate response, while helping to inform the evolution of practices and protocols, and to identify future risks and trends to be prevented and mitigated.
4. GRIEVANCE MECHANISM (internal)
   Acted provides a framework for professional grievances raised by staff through internal dedicated channels of reporting grievances and misbehaviors, ensuring a proper response mechanism and follow-up.