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 across the entire research ecosystem, including real world applications and impact. Working across multiple sectors and through our partnerships, GENDRO is commited to the highest standards of human right and ethical behaviours. This Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy is the backbone of how our board of directors, staff, consultants, interns, volunteers, and partners engage with one another. 

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, evidence-based, collaborativeness, integrity, accountability, independence, and human rights. 

The standards we hold ourselves to 

We respect safeguarding measures: moral and sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, and any form of discrimination are not tolerated. We comply with all Swiss national laws (including labour laws, criminal laws such as bribery and corruption, child protection laws) and those of countries where we work, in addition to key international declarations and treaties, including the respect of the human rights¹ of all people, including those of children² and marginalized people and groups. We encourage reporting of any issues, and process any real, potential, or possibly perceived conflict of interest. 

The way we interact 

Our work hinges on open and respectful interactions. When we work together, we aim to apply transformative intersectional feminist approaches and: 

• avoid unnecessary interruptions when others speak 
• give and take constructive feedback 
• bear in mind that someone may have undergone trauma that we are unaware of, and therefore we adhere to our duty of care and practise        empathy 
• always take a positive philosophical approach 
• check our privilege and dismantle power dynamics. 

Conflict of Interest 

A conflict of interest is a professional situation whereby any of our board members, staff, consultants, interns or volunteers have an interest that is not related to GENDRO’s work but that influences or compromises that work in some way. The primary interest being the work conducted for GENDRO, the secondary or conflicting interst can be another professional, personal, or financial relationship or pursuit. When a secondary interest can, does, or could be perceived to compete and affect the integrity, impartiality, and independence GENDRO’s work, such a conflict of interest should be declared and discussed with the GENDRO Board 

Misconduct 

Serious misconduct can and should be reported and pertains to any behaviours listed in our other policies and includes but is not limited to: 

• Conflict of Interest 
• Disclosure or any misuse of confidential information 
• Any form of harassment 
• Sexual exploitation or abuse 
• Verbal or physical violence 
• Theft 
• Fraud of any kind 
• Breach of loyalty 
• Any breach of policy within our policy framework 

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.