Page 53 - CGIAR AR 2023 - Printable Med Res

Ethics & Business Conduct

The Ethics and Business Conduct (“EBC”) office was established in July 2021. The role of EBC is to
promote an ethical organizational culture based on CGIAR Core Values of Integrity, Dignity and
Respect, Sustainability, Excellence and Innovation, and Partnership, as set forth in the CGIAR Ethics
Framework. EBC is governed by the principles of independence, confidentiality, impartiality and

professionalism, and is available to all CGIAR staff who require ethics related guidance and
assistance.

EBC serves as a trusted consultative resource available for all CGIAR staff and provides a place
where staff may confidentially raise concerns and seek confidential advice and guidance. EBC’s

advice ranges from managing potential conflicts of interest before they escalate into potential
misconduct and wrongdoing to helping staff navigate through the various processes available to
them to confront interpersonal issues.

In 2023, EBC’s focus on training and outreach shifted progressively from being demand-driven to

becoming more proactive, needs-specific, and targeted. EBC tried to engage all stakeholders of the
organization through various activities and initiatives.

Different channels continue to be available for reporting complaints with some Centers conducting
their own investigations whilst others delegate them to EBC. Interpersonal misconduct against

senior staff formed most of the complaints received, with very little financial irregularities &
research misconduct reports. EBC is working on standardizing the way investigations are carried
out across CGIAR and aligning with international best practices, since becoming a member of the
Conference for International Investigators network in February 2023.

During 2023, EBC created a portal dedicated to all IREC/IRB and other Research Ethics professionals
across CGIAR Centers. The portal was created to form a platform for pooling experiences and as a
repository of existing policies, templates, and other information on the theme of Research. In early
2023, EBC also obtained budgetary and P&C approval to appoint a Research Ethics Senior Officer
(RESO). Following an internal recruitment process, a candidate from a Center was chosen to fill the
role, however, the recruitment was put on pause in early 2024, subject to the Organization's Unified
Governance Review (UGR)/Integration Coordination Independence (ICI) process.

Commencing November 2022, EBC drafted and engaged in a robust consultative and collaborative
process to develop an initial round of system-wide ethics policies consisting of a (1) Code of
Conduct (2) Anti-Harassment Policy (3) Safeguarding Policy and (4) Whistleblower Policy. However,
despite approval and adoption by the System Board and System Council in February 2023, there

appears to be limited adoption by Centers. Post UGR, EBC was identified as a priority area for
integration and we hope that in 2024 there will be agreement on the form integration will take.
With this in mind, EBC is committed to a new fit for purpose approach to the next round of policies
and a redraft of initial policies. For more information on EBC highlights for 2023, visit CGIAR-Annual-
Report-Final-12192023-Interactive.pdf

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