The document outlines the roles and responsibilities of ethical committees within organizations, emphasizing their duty to promote ethical practices, oversee compliance, and protect participant rights. It details the processes for forming such committees, selecting members, and the importance of effective communication regarding ethical standards. Additionally, it describes the function of an ethics officer and introduces the concept of an integrity pact as a tool to prevent corruption in contracts.

1. Ethical
Committees

2. ETHICAL COMMITTEE
The ethical committee is a standing
committee of the broad of trustees. It
promotes the ethical practices of psychology
and is responsible for the code of ethics and
conduct and other ethical guidance within
the organisation.

3. The committee may issue internal and
external reports on the extent to which the
company is living up to its ethical standards
and oversees the organizations reporting on
corporate responsibility generally.

4. Responsibilities of an
ethical committee
– To establish and monitor help lines.
– To oversee subsequent actions following
breaches of the ethical policy.
– Developing and reviewing the
effectiveness of and updating ethics and
related polices.
– The liaison with stakeholders over ethical
issues.

5. To ensure the protection of rights, safety
and well-being of participants involved in
an organization.
To ensure that there is effective
communication reinforcing ethical values
and good practices in the business and
censuring unacceptable practices.

6. – To ensure that there is effective training in
the code of ethics of all levels.
– Setting up monitoring, reporting and
accountability processes.

7. Responsibilities of
committee members
 Acting with integrity and avoiding or
declaring personal conflicts of interest.
 As committee members, they will make
decisions as a collective group and hold
joint responsibility for decisions and
actions taken by the committee, even in
their absence.

8.  They are responsible for ensuring that all
decisions are taken in the best interests of
the organisation and that their role is
carried out effectively.
 Individual members should demonstrate
selflessness, integrity, objectivity,
accountability, openness, honesty and
leadership.

9. Role of Ethical
Committee
– To define Formal codes of conduct
– Developing ethical policy for
the organization and also
investigating ethical infractions by employees
– Establish Ethics communication system that
would include the facility for employees to
post queries, get advice, or report any
wrongdoing.
–

10. – Develop and organise ethics
training program meant to make workers
conscious of ethical issues that
are likely to arise in place of work;
and how to deal with them effectively.
– Establish and a disciplinary system that
would ensure prompt, decisive and impartial
dealings with violations.

11. – Setup an ethics office with officer(s) to
oversee the process
and facilitate the communication of
the policy to employees

12. How to form an Ethical
committee?
– NEEDS ASSESSMENTS Before initiating an
EC, those responsible should conduct a needs
assessment to provide a necessary' foundation for
the committee's work. Such a review will not
only surface areas needing education and policy
analysis but also provide colleagues with an
opportunity to voice ethical concerns

13. – CHOOSING THE MEMBERS Each
organization sets its own bylaws for ethics
committees, often citing the types of
persons who should be invited to
participate, remembering always that
membership is voluntary and not
remunerated.

14. The persons chosen must be:
– Knowledgeable
– Able and willing to do the preparatory
work necessary for such deliberations
(including professional reading,
workshops, programs, or courses).
– Capable of ethical discourse

15. Supporting the committee
– The kinds of support needed tend to be
quite practical and measurable. They
include (but are not restricted to):
– Administrative assistance for scheduling
meetings, taking minutes, calling ad hoc
consults, managing calendar, and
numerous other services

16. Sufficient funds to ensure adequate
education for committee chair and
members. This includes books,
subscriptions to ethics journals, and tuition
to workshops. While these tuitions are
costly, many committees rotate attendance,
the participants promising to share their
learning with the entire EC

17. • Cooperation from, and the active
involvement of, individuals who manage
key departments in the organization..

18. • Use of the system's or facility's public
relations and educational mechanisms to
inform colleagues about the committee's
existence, role, and function. This includes
simple and clear information about how to
access the committee for a consultation

19. • The participation of all who commit to
involvement on the committee. While
membership in an EC may look quite good
on a professional resume, it does not serve
the organization if members do not do their
homework or fail to attend meetings.

20. Ethics Officer
– The ethics officer serves as the
organization's internal control point for
ethics and improprieties, allegations,
complaints, and conflicts of interest and
provides corporate leadership and advice
on corporate governance issues.

21. Essential Functions of
ethics officer
– Develops and disseminates corporate ethics
statements, policies and supporting
forms/acknowledgements.
– Provides an internal review of other corporate
policies to ensure corporate consistency and
integration with the corporation's ethics
philosophies. Integrates the corporate ethics
message throughout the corporate culture

22. – Oversees the development and
implementation of corporate ethics and
conflict-of-interest training and conducts
ethical decision-making training for senior
management on ethics issues and avoiding
conflicts of interest.

23. – Promptly conducts investigations pursuant
to complaints and allegations of ethical
wrongdoing or conflicts of interest.
Prepares written investigative reports as
necessary.

24. Ethics Communication
System
– Ethics communication systems play a crucial
role in making an ethics program successful.
– Ethics communication systems should allow employees to
make enquiries, get advice if needed, or
report wrongdoing.

25. The objective of the ethics
communication system
 The company’s values and standards of
ethical business conduct to employees.
 Provide information to employees
on the company policies and procedures
regarding ethical business conduct.
–

26.  Put in place processes to help employees
obtain guidance and to resolve questions
regarding compliance with the firm’s
conduct and values; and

27.  Establish means of enquiry such as
telephone hotlines, suggestion boxes
and email facilities for employees to
get in touch with and get advice
from competent authorities. It is also
ideal to have one of these facilities
available to allow anonymous contact,
where and when required.

28. Integrity pact
1. A vigilance tool conceptualized and
promoted by Transparency International.
2. Central Vigilance Commission
recommended adoption of the pact and
provided guidelines for the Government
organizations.
3. It envisages and agreement between the
prospective vendors and the buyer not to
resort to any corrupt practices in any aspect
/ stage of the contract.

29. Ingredients of the Pact
– Promise by the Principal not to seek any illegal benefit.
– Promise by the bidders not to offer any benefit to the
employees of the principal.
– Bidders not to enter into any understanding with other bidders
regarding prices etc.
– Bidders not to pass any information.
– Foreign bidders to disclose the details of its agent in India.
Indian bidders to disclose their foreign associates.
– Bidders to disclose payments to be made to agents
/intermediatery.