The
Newsletter of the Pan American Health Organization - December
2007 The
Newsletter of the Pan American Health Organization - December
2007The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has opened a new Ethics Office at its Washington, D.C., headquarters to provide advice, resolve ethical problems, and promote transparent, ethical, and accountable conduct by the organization's employees.
The Ethics Office will handle staff questions about what constitutes proper or ethical behavior and will allow employees to report specific work-related situations that raise ethical concerns. In conjunction with the Staff Development Unit, it will implement an online course on ethics in the workplace, which will be mandatory for everyone working at PAHO headquarters, country offices, and technical centers.
In addition, a new toll-free Ethics Help Line (888-448-4715) will take queries by phone for staff who wish to remain anonymous and will provide follow-up without callers having to identify themselves.
Issues that may be dealt with by the Ethics Office or the Ethics Help Line include possible theft of funds or property, violence or threatening behavior, harassment or discrimination, conflict of interest, misuse of resources, or procurement irregularities.
"Any of these situations would adversely affect our mission and values," says a brochure put out by the new Ethics Office. "If you suspect that someone is engaging in illegal, unsafe or unethical behavior, it is your duty to speak up. Your supervisor or manager is a good place to start but, if you prefer, you can contact the Ethics Office directly to report your concern."
PAHO has contracted with Global Compliance Services to manage the new help line. The firm's communication specialists will take calls from PAHO staff, ask callers a series of questions about their concerns, prepare a report, and forward it to the PAHO Ethics Office for review and possible investigation. Callers will receive a callback date, a report number, and a PIN, which they may use to call back later to receive an answer to their query. The Ethics Help Line will also be available as an online service at www.globalcompliance.com or www.pahoethics.org.
The work of the Ethics Office will center on fostering awareness and ensuring compliance with the PAHO Code of Ethical Principles and Conduct, which was formally adopted in 2005 and is available online.