Section A: Anti-Corruption, Fraud, and Bribery
At Real Life Research Institute Africa Program (RLRI-AP), we acknowledge that fraud, bribery, and corruption can weaken trust with our stakeholders, including the communities we interact with, our donors, and program participants. Hence, we hold a zero-tolerance approach to fraud, bribery, and corruption. We shall take every measure possible to prevent, find, and respond to fraud, bribery, and corruption across our networks.
Fraud, bribery, and corruption include acts of fraud, theft, nepotism, money laundering, terrorism, financing, abuse of an undeclared conflict of interest, counterfeit money, cybercrime, extortion, and other forms of financial crime.
Roles and Responsibilities
Everyone working with or at RLRI-AP is responsible for preventing, finding, and reporting fraud, bribery, and corruption.
All who work with or for RLRI-AP will be required to undertake fraud awareness training within three months of employment.
RLRI-AP employees and affiliated personnel must take all measures to reduce fraud, bribery, and corruption, including the following steps:
- Checking with the manager if unsure of what may be acceptable behavior (our workplace is a safe space to raise concerns and ask questions)
- Carry out risk assessment and document steps taken to reduce the risk of fraud, bribery, and corruption in programs and activities.
- Regularly review the effectiveness of measures taken to reduce the risk of fraud, bribes, and corruption.
- Reporting as soon as possible any behavior that may be fraudulent, corrupt, or involve bribery through RLRI-AP’s reporting channels.
RLRI-AP shall ensure that third parties are aware of and understand their obligations under this Policy. We shall:
- Put this Policy on our website
- Utilize a subcontracting agreement, which will require subcontractors to comply with this Policy as well as prevent, report, and respond to any corrupt or fraudulent activities in their organization.
Section B: Whistleblowing
RLRI-AP encourages its employees, volunteers, members, partners, consultants, and contractors to report serious concerns related to the organization without fear of reprisal. RLRI-AP is committed to protecting whistleblowers from victimization and dismissal.
Concerns that should be reported include financial and sexual misconduct, abuse and exploitation of vulnerable groups, breach of policy, abuse of position, and any other activity that may bring RLRI-AP into disrepute.
While anonymous disclosures are discouraged, RLRI-AP acknowledges that unequal power relations may make anonymity the appropriate choice for the whistleblower.
RLRI-AP will treat disclosures with the utmost discretion and keep reports confidential, except where identification is required by law or is necessary to enable the organization or law enforcement to conduct adequate investigations. RLRI-AP will include measures for whistleblowers who believe they have been subject to retaliation.
RLRI-AP will treat all reports seriously and subject them to a thorough investigation.