It is good practice for professional institutions to have a Code of Conduct which provides minimum standards with which its members must comply.
This Code is likely to cover a wide range of issues, such as ethics, corruption prevention, quality, health and safety, environmental protection, discrimination, human rights etc.
The following are recommended Code of Conduct provisions which are specific to corruption prevention. A professional institution can compare the anti-corruption provisions in its existing Code of Conduct with the following suggested provisions, and can adapt and include the following provisions in its Code of Conduct as appropriate.
Laws: You must comply with all laws in all jurisdictions in which you operate.
Criminal activity: You must not:
Conflicts of interest: You must avoid, or deal openly and appropriately with, situations in which your own, or your family’s, personal interests could conflict with your professional obligations or duties.
Ethical behaviour: You must at all times behave ethically. Ethical behaviour is a higher standard than the criminal law: an act may be unethical even if it is not unlawful. Behaving ethically means behaving in a manner which is truthful, fair, and honest, and which is in keeping with the high standards of your profession.
Professional responsibilities: You must not knowingly or recklessly:
Management responsibilities: Where you have a management responsibility over any function, activity or personnel, you must:
Direct and indirect actions: The above obligations apply to any actions taken by you either directly, or through or on behalf of any other person or organisation.
Breach of this Code of Conduct: In the event that any member breaches any part of this Code of Conduct, then
Reporting: If you suspect that any member of [name of professional institution] has breached any part of this Code of Conduct, then you must report such suspicion as soon as possible to the [name of professional institution] Reporting Line. The Reporting Line is:
Name: ………………….
e-mail: ………….……..
Telephone: ……………
In all cases, you may report anonymously. If you do not make your report anonymously, you may at the time of reporting request [name of professional institution] to keep your identity confidential.
Download Word version of above Code of Conduct provisions.
Updated on 15th July 2020
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