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foundation:code_of_conduct [2010/12/17 23:35] 127.0.0.1 external edit |
foundation:code_of_conduct [2012/03/29 10:18] |
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- | ===== Sahana Code of Conduct ===== | ||
- | Though Sahana is a Free and Open Source Software project, we firmly operate in the area of humanitarian response and thus it is important that we adhere to established ethical principles in this domain as we develop, deploy, support and provide help with the Sahana system. | ||
- | The code of conduct only appends to the well established [[http:// | ||
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- | ** 1. The Humanitarian imperative comes first ** | ||
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- | RCCC: "The right to receive humanitarian assistance, and to offer it, is a fundamental humanitarian principle which should be enjoyed by all citizens of all countries. As members of the international community, we recognize our obligation to provide humanitarian assistance wherever it is needed. Hence the need for unimpeded access to affected populations, | ||
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- | * Sahana' | ||
- | * Sahana is made available freely for anyone to download and we should strive to deploy Sahana in a neutral holistic way encompassing all parties in need of humanitarian assistance in a disaster. | ||
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- | ** 2. Aid is given regardless of the race, creed or nationality of the recipients and without adverse distinction of any kind. Aid priorities are calculated on the basis of need alone ** | ||
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- | RCCC: " | ||
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- | * Sahana should be used only if it serves the need and is feasible based on the situation, environment and preference of aid workers/ | ||
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- | ** 3. Aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint ** | ||
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- | RCCC: " | ||
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- | ** 4. We shall endeavour not to act as instruments of government foreign policy ** | ||
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- | RCCC: "NGHAs are agencies which act independently from governments. We therefore formulate our own policies and implementation strategies and do not seek to implement the policy of any government, except in so far as it coincides with our own independent policy. We will never knowingly - or through negligence - allow ourselves, or our employees, to be used to gather information of a political, military or economically sensitive nature for governments or other bodies that may serve purposes other than those which are strictly humanitarian, | ||
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- | * Sahana is a free and open source project making it a global public good by license and by nature it as a product it cannot be controlled by any particular government agenda. | ||
- | * Because the code is available for inspection it also make the product transparent and thus more trustworthy of any malicious intent of foreign policy. This is not the same for data, which need to be protected from abuse. | ||
- | * In certain instances we will be supporting Sahana for governments and it will be hard to know or control how Sahana gets used. The data gathered in Sahana is indeed sensitive and can be abused and thus we should do our best to configure the system in a way that data is protected. Be watchful and ensure that at least you protect yourself from being affiliated to a particular political agenda. But in most instances Sahana has been successfully deployed in support of Government relief efforts. | ||
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- | ** 5. We shall respect culture and custom ** | ||
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- | RCCC: "We will endeavour to respect the culture, structures and customs of the communities and countries we are working in." | ||
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- | * Sahana as a system permits anyone to front-end the system. In most instances where Sahana has been successful it has been front-ended by local groups/orgs who have a tacit knowledge of culture, structures and customs of the region in partnership with the Sahana community. | ||
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- | ** 6. We shall attempt to build disaster response on local capacities ** | ||
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- | RCCC: "All people and communities - even in disaster - possess capacities as well as vulnerabilities. Where possible, we will strengthen these capacities by employing local staff, purchasing local materials and trading with local companies. Where possible, we will work through local NGHAs as partners in planning and implementation, | ||
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- | * It is easy for us to leave the Sahana technology behind and help people support themselves by building local capacity. With FOSS at least cost and replication is not a problem, but good training and mentoring is needed to help local folk use, maintain and manage the system. | ||
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- | ** 7. Ways shall be found to involve programme beneficiaries in the management of relief aid ** | ||
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- | RCCC: " | ||
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- | * Sahana strives to be a system that empowers the disaster victims/ | ||
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- | ** 8. Relief aid must strive to reduce future vulnerabilities to disaster as well as meeting basic needs ** | ||
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- | RCCC: "All relief actions affect the prospects for long term development, | ||
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- | ** 9. We hold ourselves accountable to both those we seek to assist and those from whom we accept resources ** | ||
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- | RCCC: "We often act as an institutional link in the partnership between those who wish to assist and those who need assistance during disasters. We therefore hold ourselves accountable to both constituencies. All our dealings with donors and beneficiaries shall reflect an attitude of openness and transparency. We recognize the need to report on our activities, both from a financial perspective and the perspective of effectiveness. We recognize the obligation to ensure appropriate monitoring of aid distributions and to carry out regular assessments of the impact of disaster assistance. We will also seek to report, in an open fashion, upon the impact of our work, and the factors limiting or enhancing that impact. Our programmes will be based upon high standards of professionalism and expertise in order to minimize the wasting of valuable resources." | ||
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- | * When taking responsibility to support a Sahana deployment it is important (even though you might be volunteering) that a comprehensive job is done to make sure Sahana serves the need. We need to be accountable for the performance of the system and it matching to the actual requirements. | ||
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- | ** 10. In our information, | ||
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- | RCCC: " |