HOW TO SEEK ADVICE ON ETHICAL ISSUES

Being a UN staff member means living up to the highest standards of conduct and being mindful that our actions are open to public view. There are resources for help and guidance to navigate our way through the complexity of situations and questions that arise naturally from the work we do.

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Seek advice in answer to your questions to prevent ethical lapses

The UN Ethics Office provides the advice to guide you in making decisions based on the UN’s ethical values and principles. You are encouraged to seek advice before engaging in an activity to avoid and manage conflicts of interest. The Ethics Office is:

  • Strictly confidential
  • Not reporting to any department or office
  • Responsible for the protection from retaliation measures
  • Accessible from any duty station through telephone or email.

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If things go wrong or you are not sure

We all have a duty to report any breach of the Organization’s regulations and rules to the officials whose responsibility is to take appropriate action. If you are not sure about the situation or how to proceed, contact the Ethics Office for advice—that is always the preferred alternative to doing nothing.

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How to report misconduct

If you know that another staff member in your department or office has engaged in conduct for which a disciplinary measure may be imposed, you should report this information to the head of the department or office. If the matter concerns a staff member from another department or office, you should inform your supervisor or human resources officer, who has the duty to review the information and transmit it through appropriate channels to the department or office of the staff member suspected of misconduct. If for any reason you do not wish to use these channels, you may directly report suspected misconduct to the Office of Internal Oversight Services via the established phone or email contacts. 

Key pages: 
Important documents: 
Other related links: 
Putting Ethics to Work – A guide for staff
The UN Ethics Office prepared this guide to explain the duties and obligations of staff members in keeping with the standards of conduct and to answer frequently asked questions about what is and is not allowable in various situations.
United Nations Ethics Office
The office helps staff members carry out their jobs professionally and fairly, and to manage their private lives in a way that does not interfere with their official duties.
Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS)
OIOS follows up on reports of possible violations of rules or regulations, mismanagement, misconduct, waste of resources or abuse of authority and operates a hotline on a 24-hour, confidential basis, and protects the confidentiality of all who make reports whether the investigation substantiates the report or not.