1st edition, approved by the Board of Directors – 2 December 2024

Introduction

GENDRO is international non-profit association established in the State of Geneva, Switzerland, in 2018.Our work is dedicated to identifying and addressing the gender gaps and biases acrossthe entire research ecosystem, including real world applications and impact. Working across multiple sectors and through our partnerships, GENDRO is committed to the highest standards of human rights and ethical behaviours. This Anti-Fraud and Anti-Corruption Policy is the backbone of how our board of directors, staff, consultants, interns, volunteers, and partners engage in activities related to GENDRO.

Our values

We uphold and live our values and this policy is one of the many ways we ensure this. Our values are about who we are and how we work. We stand for gender equality, diversity, inclusion, evidencebased, collaborativeness, integrity, accountability, independence, and human rights.

Aim of this policy

This policy serves to ensure that we uphold and model the principles, policies, and practices that we serve to promote and protect. Its aim is to facilitate the development of controls that will aid in the detection and prevention of fraud against GENDRO or corruption of or by any of our staff, consultants, interns, or volunteers. GENDRO promotes consistent and ethical organizational behaviour by providing guidelines and assigning responsibility for the development of controls and conduct of investigations.

Policy scope, definitions, concrete examples

The GENDRO Board and General Assembly are responsible for detecting and preventing fraud and corruption, misappropriations, and other irregularities.

Fraud refers to an act whereby an individual or an entity intentionally acts in an illegal, incorrect, or unethical manner, and that harms the individual or entity against which the act is committed. It aims at unlawful gain or denying of rights of a victim, and is characterized by false representation or concealment of a material fact for the purpose of inducing another to act upon it to their (the individual’s or entity’s) injury. Fraud can be in the form of, for example:

• financial or monetary falsification for gain or misappropriation of funds
• impropriety in the handling or reporting of money or financial transactions
• illicit use of copyrighted materials without citing sources
• falsifying data to skew an outcome
• falsifying an identity online
• profiteering as a result of insider knowledge of company activities
• disclosing confidential and proprietary information to outside parties
• destruction, removal, or inappropriate use of records or equipment

Corruption is an act that is illegal, incorrect, or unethical and involves a complicit exchange of private resources and the abuse of authority. Nepotism and favouritism may also be considered as corruption. It comprises behaviours that benefit a person or entity (that uses authority to influence decisions) at the expense of another. A form of abuse of power, corruption can be in the form of, for example:

• accepting or seeking material value (bribes) from clients, partners, or persons providing services/materials to GENDRO that is not part of regular remuneration/contractual agreements in exchange for favourable treatment, or offering such material value to such stakeholders (except for example, small gifts of a value below CHF 50 and that are related to work content – e.g. a book on a topic of our work)
• quid pro quo sexual harassment, sexual favours stipulated upon promises of advantages in exchange (see also our other policies including the Code of Conduct and Ethics).

Other forms of irregularities concerning the moral, ethical, or behavioural conduct of GENDRO’s board, staff, consultants, interns, or volunteers should be channelled through the mechanism outlined below and are also detailed in the GENDRO Code of Conduct and Ethics, and other policies.

GENDRO’s Board, staff, consultants, interns, or volunteers must be familiar with the types of improprieties that might occur within their respective area of responsibility and be alert for any indication of irregularity.

We encourage prevention and reporting

GENDRO conducts reference checks on our board members, staff, volunteers, and interns. Any issues relating to this policy can and should be reported safely to: ethics(at)humanimpact5.ch

At the time of this policy writing, the above email is solely managed by board member Gabrielle Landry Chappuis, who is trained in safeguarding and is a certified person of trust. Should this not be an option for any reason, the board secretary Bernard Kadasia may be contacted: b.kadasia(at)gendro.org.

Behaviours covered by this policy are considered serious misconduct and if/once verified will lead to sanctions, including contract termination, or when necessary will be referred to the relevant authorities.