NO! to corruption. YES! to integrity

As a citizen, I shall undertake to:

Act in a fair and equitable manner; at all times;
Have an irreproachable conduct and be a law-abiding citizen;
Respect the rights of other individuals in the performance of any authority that I may have;
Favour mutual respect, that is giving as much importance to others’ interests as to his or her interests;
Respect the rights and interests of the community in general;
Observe principles of honesty and integrity;
Ask for a receipt for any payment made to a public or private sector employee and make sure that the amount shown on the receipt corresponds to amount paid.

I shall refrain from:

Subordinating the truth to other requirements;
Trying to obtain any favour that would require fraud and corruption;
Participating in any action that would be harmful to my own credibility or to that of other persons;
Offering or being solicited directly or indirectly with a view of offering any gift or bribe whatsoever to a member of the public service, or to any other person, who would be capable of being influenced in the performance of his duties and of his judgement;
Soliciting and receiving directly or indirectly any gift or other favour capable of influencing me in the exercise of my rights and duties, such as, for instance, when I exert my right to vote.

As a student, I shall undertake to:

Promote integrity among students;
Discourage improper and dishonest practices;
Prepare myself as best as I can for examinations in order not to be tempted to cheat;
Reject any desire to cheat in any situation whatsoever;
Resist any attempt at cheating on myself by anybody else;
Refuse any unauthorised collaboration, such as, for example, in the preparation of a class work or homework or while participating in a competition;
Make sure to always mention sources of any information or data which I utilise.

I shall refrain from:

Allowing anybody else to participate, on my behalf and using my name, at an examination,an evaluation or any other academic or sports activity;
Participating, on behalf and in the name of somebody else, at an examination or any other academic or sports activity;
Utilising, in the examination room or in the course of any other academic exercise, any unauthorised notes, information, material, books or references;
Distorting information and data obtained, for instance, in the course of an experiment in a laboratory;
Having recourse to plagiarism.

As a person in a responsible position, I shall undertake to:

Behave myself in such a way that my deeds and words are honest and inspire confidence;
Declare my personal interests, whether financial, commercial or other, whenever these may be in conflict with the interests which I am required to stand up for;
Show impartiality in the performance of my duties, for example while engaged in recruitment procedures, contract allocations; subsidy grants and the recommendation of individuals for benefits, in order that any choice be fair and equitable and not unjustly in favour of those who are closely related to me;
Be transparent in my decisions and not hide information which is of public interest;
Agree that I am accountable for my decisions and actions and that I may be subjected to any appropriate investigation;
Promote respect of the law and act within the legal framework;
Act in such a way as to promote respect for human dignity;
Show consideration for others;
Set an example to others in the promotion of a culture of integrity within his or her environment.

I shall refrain from:

Subordinating the truth to any other consideration ;
Accepting any financial or other reward from any person or organisation that would force me to act unethically in the performance of my duties and responsibilities.
Proposing any financial or other reward to any person that would force him to act unethically in the performance of his duties and responsibilities.

As a public or private sector employee, I shall undertake to:

Be at the service of the community;
Perform my duties within the legal framework;
Manage public or corporate affairs in a neutral manner with regard to party politics;
Show impartiality and integrity;
Promote justice and equity;
Manage efficiently and effectively public or private resources for which I am responsible;
Make sure that my relations with the public and my colleagues be courteous and full of consideration;
State my personal interests, whether financial, commercial or other, whenever these may be in conflict with the interests which I am required to stand up for;
Act, in all circumstances, in such a way that will not to deceive the public since the latter expects me to have an exemplary conduct;
Deserve the public’s confidence and behave in such a way that will not damage my own credibility;
Be accountable to the public for my decisions and actions;
Understand that, according to my position and according to existing legislation, I may be called upon to declare his personal assets as well as those of my spouse and dependants.

I shall refrain from:

Using my power and authority in an abusive manner;
Taking advantage of my official position for my personal interests, whether financial or other, or for those of
Behaving, even in private, in such a way that may credibility of the public service or private company trustworthiness of officers of the public or private
Disclosing confidential documents and information, required to do so under special circumstances proceedings;
Using public or corporate funds, property, services or personal activities;
Soliciting or receiving directly or indirectly any gift capable of influencing me in the discharge of my performance of my office and in my judgement.

As an elected member Assembly, of a Municipality, I shall undertake to:

Act in priotiry in the public interest;
Observe the codes of conduct which apply to all those who are actively engaged in public life;
Adhere strictly to the rules and regulations of the institution of which I am a member;
Promote a transparent and open culture;
Declare my own direct or indirect personal interests whether financial of commercial whenever these may be in conflict with the public interest and either get rid of these interests or stay away from any related decision;
Be aware at all times of the fact that I am accountable towards those whom I represent whenever matters of a financial nature are under discussion, more particularly when such questions are dealt with during informal meetings and functions;
Facilitate access to information;
Make sure that all procedures are well defined, clear and published so that they are known to the public in general;
Ensure that criteria are scrupulously followed in the application of the law and of regulations as well as in the application of any other procedures.

I shall refrain from:

Soliciting or accepting from anybody any remuneration or benefit, other than my official remuneration, in the performance of my duties;
Soliciting or accepting any benefit, advantage or promise of future advantage either for myself, or for a member of my immediate family, or for any business concern or trust with which I am associated from persons who are in, or seek to be in, any contractual or special relationship with the institution of which I am an elected member;
Accepting any gift, hospitality and concessionary travel offered in connection with the discharge of the duties of my office except as may be permitted under the rules applicable to this office;
Using public funds, property, services and information for unofficial activities;
Standing up for any case in return of which I would receive any payment or favour.

Warning signs

When, in the course of a conversation relating to a transaction, I hear any of the following or other similar warning signs, I know that I must be very careful since the person I am speaking to is clearly giving me hints to be unethical:

“How many furlongs can you run?”
“Presently, your file is right at the bottom of this stack, but …”
“Well, maybe just this once …”
“Just between you and me …”
“No one will ever know …”
“No matter how it gets done as long as it is done.”
“It will be a lengthy procedure, unless …”
“No worry, everyone does it.”
“We can come to an arrangement, if you are willing to …”
“This is normal practice here.”
“Would it help if I send him a box of …”
“Shred that document.”
“We can hide it.”
“No one will get hurt.”
“You will not regret it …”
“What’s in it for me?”
“This will destroy the competition.”
“We did not have this conversation.”

Whenever I hear such warning signs, I take great care to maintain my ethical behaviour based on sound principles as I know that I am being asked to adopt corrupt practices.

When in doubt …

Whenever I am in doubt, I ask myself the following questions:

“Are my actions legal?”
“Am I being fair and honest?”
“Will my action stand the test of time?”
“How will I feel about myself afterwards?”
“How will it look in the newspaper?”
“Will I sleep soundly tonight?”
“Would I like my child to know what I have done?”

If I am still not sure what to do, I keep asking myself these questions until I am certain that I am doing the right thing.

I always say NO to corruption and YES to integrity