1 - Introduction
The International Center for Transfer of Agricultural and Livestock Technology (CIITTA) is a non-profit organization that works to strengthen agriculture in developing countries, through technology transfer initiatives and training and capacity building activities focusing on small and medium scale farmers and extension workers.
This Code of Ethics encompasses a set of values that reflect high ethical and moral standards that must govern all of the CIITTA’s domestic/foreign, business and governmental relations, aligned with its internal regulation, the mission, values, and vision that define the CIITTA’s identity, guide its businesses in search of constant innovation and excellence in all of its activities, without creating any legal relations between the parties, other than the existing ones.
2 - Purpose
This code of ethics aims to strengthen the CIITTA’s ethical values, its organization identity, and guiding principles.
It also seeks to strengthen the CIITTA’s commitment to forming ethical people, who can have a positive influence on society through the conduct of its collaborators, manager, and clients.
3 - Scope
The CIITTA’s primary scope is to build up a culture of integrity, sustainability, honesty, trust, transparence, and good conduct policy.
This commitment is expressed herein based on the standards that reflect our mission, vision, as well as our principles.
3.1 – MISSION
To strengthen the technical and organizational capacity of the agricultural technicians and extension workers within the scope of the south-south cooperation, guided by the existing demands throughout the value chains, represented by the agricultural, livestock production, and processing steps.
3.2 – VISION
To become an institution that serves as a global benchmark for the transfer of agricultural technology, significantly helping to increase food safety in the south-south cooperation countries.
3.3 – KEY PRINCIPLES (exemplary roll):
- Observe good governance practices;
- Transparence, clear, objective, and timely communication;
- Achieve its goals with responsibility;
- Preserve the environment and contribute to the development of the community where it operates;
- Act with responsibility, honesty, trust, respect, and loyalty;
- Observe the legal obligations applicable to the states/countries where it operates directly or indirectly;
- Act with respect for human rights and the environment;
- Intolerance towards any kind of fraud or corruption.
4 - Decision Making
Each and every decision to be made, either internally or externally, must be made according to the following chief guidelines:
- Adherence to and observance of the effective laws; the Anticorruption Act, Administrative Misconduct Act, Tender Act, among other correlated rules;
- Adherence to and observance of this code of ethics, the CIITTA’s values and culture;
- Preserve the CIITTA’s material and immaterial property (e.g.: image and reputation);
- Defend the CIITTA’s best interests;
- Always avoid situations which may give rise to conflicts between your own and the CIITTA’s interests. When this is not possible, abstain from representing the CIITTA and promptly inform your superiors or Managers;
- Never develop business relationships with companies that, knowingly, don’t meet ethical standards and/or violate any labor, fiscal, tax laws etc.;
- Maintain secrecy whenever the information is not public and known beforehand, and also prevent access to confidential information by people who are not authorized to have it;
- Respect any copyright and intellectual property.
5 - Conflicts of Interest
The conflict of interest arises whenever someone derives benefits for themselves in detriment to the CIITTA’s ethics and interests.
To avoid such situations, you should avoid, for instance, the following:
- Hire or keep on your staff close friends, relatives, or spouses, without the prior consent of the CIITTA’s management;
- Receive any advantages or gifts;
- Acquire goods or services under favored conditions from the company’s suppliers;
In case of doubt about any situation that may give rise to a conflict of interest, talk with your direct supervisor or the CIITTA’s management.
6 - Internal / External Relationships
The following types of conduct are unacceptable and subject to disciplinary penalties, hence not permitted in any event:
- Use of your position to gain personal advantages, privileges, or any other kind of illegitimate personal favored position or benefit, or for third parties among your relations;
- Conduct that is biased towards or against any collaborator on account of their social class, skin color, gender, sexual orientation, origin, race, age, religion, marital status, or fitness;
- Harassment of any kind, including moral or sexual harassment, that causes intimate or public embarrassment;
- Give or receive gifts, except when those are clearly identified free gifts without any significant commercial value;
- Directly or indirectly offer, promise, authorize, provide, or give payment or any other personal benefit to any Federal, State or Local public authority, employee, or civil servant, in exchange for advantages.
7 - Confidentiality and Secrecy
Any internal and external information is protected by industrial secrecy, and cannot be disclosed, shared or reported, at any rate, without its owner’s express consent. This confidentiality is equally applicable to any information from the CIITTA’s collaborators, managers, clients, and suppliers.
8 - The Ciitta´s Image and Culture
Every collaborator carries the company’s image with them, so any conduct that violates the ethics, moral and effective laws will not be tolerated, either inside or outside the workplace.
9 - Sansactions and Adjustment Processes
All the collaborators and/or directors who are involved in unethical conduct will be subject to the following measures:
- Warning and adjustment process, in case of mild conduct, regarded as conduct that poses no risk to the client and doesn’t commit any ethical or legal infraction;
- Fair dismissal, or removal from their position, without prejudice to the applicable civil and criminal actions in case of conduct that violates this Code of Ethics or the law.
10 - General Provisions
Whenever you have doubts about compliance or noncompliance with this code of ethics, talk with your immediate superior or the CIITTA’s management.
All the recipients must diffuse this document. The awareness of any conduct that violates this Code must be promptly communicated; violations of the provisions under this Code will subject the breaching parties to disciplinary sanctions, without prejudice to any applicable legal measures.
This Code does not include all the possible ethical issues concerning the CIITTA’s activities, so it does not restrict any disciplinary measures against conduct that goes against common sense, the ethics, and moral values of the place where the CIITTA undertakes its activities.
11 - Term and Aplicability
This code is valid for an unlimited time, as of its disclosure and signing, and applicable to all the places where the CIITTA operates.
