Dear Communications Professionals,
as a result of First Davos Online Communications Summit, World Communications Forum Association initiated a document showing our wish and desire to develop sustainable and ethical business. We do understand that it is one of many documents accepted by an international community in that field. We are perfectly aware of The Barcelona principles accepted by AMEC, The Helsinki Declaration of ICOO and many others by PRCA in UK, PR Council in US and also by almost all national associations dealing with public communications and do accept them. In our document you can find some known and familiar statements and - of course - some new and updated in May 2020.
Here is the full text of the Tenets of Responsible and Ethical Communications. Initially the documents is signed by 60 communications professionals from 36 countries.
Please join all of them and if you want your name and country to be available under the Tenets, send me an email to max@m3bg.com and confirm.
Regards and enjoy reading!
Maxim Behar
President
World Communications Forum Association
Tenets of Responsible and Ethical Communications
Initiated by the World Communications Forum Association, developed and accepted by participants in the First Davos Online Communications Summit, April 10, 2020
1. Communication is a powerful tool for effective operation in the contemporary world.
2. As such, Public Communication is an all embracing, holistic, approach for enabling leaders in all fields (business, politics, government, civil society, etc.) to operate ahead of the curve.
3. Experts must influence public opinion while leading their own projects - small and big, less and more important - with attuned leadership skills. They must be reliable communication partners for their clients or principals, based on real and measurable outcomes, while also playing their part in efforts to contribute meaningfully to communities in which they operate.
4. Practitioners shall commit to manage and lead by example in upholding ethical standards in full respect of all rights issues: human rights in general, women's rights, children's rights, the rights of threatened communities, equality in all senses, environmental rights, animal rights, etc., as well as freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of worship, and others.
5. We acknowledge Public Communication as one of the most dynamic tools in the stakeholder engagement arsenal of organizations.
6. Truth, Transparency and Integrity must be the foundations upon which all external and internal communications are based and provided by leaders in all fields.
7. Due to the powerful strategic influence of communication on public opinion, it is of utmost importance that related processes and approaches are managed by accredited and recognized professionals who master communication from a 360° angle.
8. Professional practitioners shall adhere to and commit in signing-up to a professional standards or professional Codes of Conduct containing core values such as transparency, integrity, trustworthiness, professionalism, ethical conduct and leadership, respect for all stated fundamental rights and freedoms, etc.
9. Professionals in communication should be easily recognizable by their professionalism and adherence to the professional Code of Conduct.
10. Conflicts of interest must always be avoided.
11. Communication companies must refrain from and refuse to act in the interest of unethical causes.
12. Within every communication organization every person should have the right to refuse, with no adverse consequences, to do work for causes that go against their Code of Conduct, rights issues, and fundamental freedoms if there is a non-disputable ethical reason for that.
13. Communication professionals shall design, deliver, and evaluate effective strategies, practices, and executions driving responsible, result-oriented outputs, for all stakeholder groups.
14. The Communication practice should always seek to build bridges across borders in order to create a truly global, collaborative, community of professionals.
15. Communication professionals must take a firm position against the dissemination of fake news.
16. Effective crisis management strategies shall be a key strategic driver for all member and associated communications companies.
17. As part of the required adherence to the professional Code of Conduct, communication experts shall at all times use their real identity, including pictures, when using social media platforms, and refrain from using aliases.
18. Communication professionals must respect privacy of data, adhere strictly to all GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) standards, and never share details concerning third parties without requisite permissions from affected parties.
19. Business leaders must respect their competition and cooperate with all the latter's representatives based on professional and ethical relations.
20. Continued training and development must be a corporate policy priority for all public communication consultancies, agencies, or departments.
Accepted by
(according to the alphabetical order of the countries represented)
Tatevik Pirumyan (Armenia), Sukruty Narayanan (Australia), Christophe Ginisty (Belgium), Ilarija Basic (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Tumisang Shamil Agosi (Botswana), Ariane Feijo (Brazil), Maxim Behar (Bulgaria) - President WCFA, Judy Lewis (Canada), Yuxing Han (China), Zhao Dali (China), Andreja Pavlovic (Croatia), Danijel Koletic (Croatia), Jaroslav Major (Czech), Loula Zaklama (Egypt), Guntram Kaiser (Germany), Michael T. Schroeder (Germany), Andras Sztaniszlav (Hungary), Gabor Hegyi (Hungary), Ashay Sahasrabuddhe (India), Ganesh Chandrasekaran (India) - Vice President, WCFA, Nitin Mantri (India), Saurabh Uboweja (India), Yogesh Joshi (India), Mina Nazari (Iran), Eitan Herschco (Israel), Andrea Cornelli (Italy), Cesare Valli (Italy), Lorenzo Brufani (Italy), Rana Nejem (Jordan), Peter Mutie (Kenya), Marie-Noelle Elissac-Foy (Mauritius), Lorena Carenno (Mexico), Kamal Taibi (Morocco), Khalid Baddou (Morocco), Rhingo Mutambo (Namibia), Bart de Vries (Netherlands), Yomi Badejo-Okusanya (Nigeria), Tatjana Loparski (North Macedonia), Flavio Oliveira (Portugal), Jon-Hans Coetzer (Portugal) - Vice President, WCFA, Philippe Borremans (Portugal), Olga Bereslavskaya (Russia), Sabina Yagizarova (Russia) - Vice President, WCFA, Sergey Zverev (Russia), Yanina Dubeykovskaya (Russia) - Vice President, WCFA, Jelena Sarenac (Serbia), Tamara Bekcic (Serbia), Vuk Brajovic (Serbia), Solly Moeng (South Africa) - Vice President, WCFA, Ekaterina Voskoboynikova (Spain), Ozge Uzun (Turkey), Yasemin Edige Oztunc (Turkey), Amanda Coleman (UK), Francis Ingham (UK), Stuart Bruce (UK), Jacqueline Strayer (USA), Johna Burke (USA), Kim Sample (USA), Clāra Ly-Le (Vietnam)