NEPCon's politik for undgåelse af interessekonflikter

formål

Definition af interessekonflikt

En interessekonflikt består af enhver aktivitet, engagement, eller interesse som kan outside activity, commitment, or interest that may adversely affect, compromise, or be incompatible with the obligations of an individual or an institution.

Conflict of interest can be also defined as any situation in which an individual or corporation is in a position to potentially exploit a professional or official capacity in some way for their personal or corporate benefit.

General provisions

Impartiality and independence of NEPCon’s activities are assured at the organizational and personal level.

At the organizational level impartiality and independence is safeguarded by NEPCon’s board. This structure enables the participation of all parties significantly interested in the NEPCon’s activities. One of the board’s tasks is to review NEPCon’s performance in maintaining full independence. NEPCon’s board meets several times a year at board meeting and at least annually at an annual general assembly called in 4 weeks in advance. The board members are elected by the members of NEPCon directly and personally and have no personal interest in the performance or profit of the organisation. They represent independent experts in their field of business administration and forestry from the private and public sector.

At the personal level the independence and impartiality is safeguarded by the contractual and “case by case” obligation for all NEPCon staff (permanent employees and consultants) to disclose in writing all possible and actual conflicts of interest, at the time that the conflict or possibility or conflict becomes evident. Top management ensures that none of NEPCon’s activities affect the confidentiality, objectivity or impartiality of the provided auditing services.

When selecting the audit team to be appointed for a specific assessment, the task manager ensures that each team member is free from any interest that might cause them to act in other than an impartial or non-discriminatory manner. The audit team members are obliged to inform, prior to the assessment, about any existing, former or envisaged link between themselves and the organization to be assessed.

In order to avoid conflict of interest, no certification-related consultancy will be given to an organization, which will be the subject of auditing. Certification-related consultancy is considered as participation in an active creative manner in giving specific advice towards the development and implementation of management systems (forest management system, CoC system) to the company or institution being subject for eventual certification.

Considering the fact that NEPCon is a company, which already for more than 10 years has been working with nature conservation, sustainable development and the relationship between Nature, Ecology and People - with a mission to promote sustainable forest and nature management and use, in cooperation with local stakeholders such as individuals, business enterprises, NGO’s and governmental institutions, - the following activities are not considered as certification-related consultancy:

• planning and organizing information meetings, workshops, courses, conferences regarding every aspect of FSC certification, nature and other resources management, and other issues within scope of NEPCon’s activities;
• arranging and participating as a lecturer in above mentioned events with the presentation that confine to the provision of generic information and advice which is freely available in the public domain, and not provide company specific advice;
• making available or publishing on request information on the basis for the interpretation of the requirements of the assessment standards;
  - running activities prior to audit aimed solely at determining readiness for assessment; which do not result in the provision of recommendations or advice;
• adding value during assessments and surveillance visits, e.g. by identifying opportunities for improvement, as they become evident, during the audit without recommending specific solutions;
• applying for and running projects related to any topic within NEPCon’s scope of activities, that confine to task which do not have direct relation to the organization audited or to be audited;
• any other activities which are not considered as participation in an active creative manner in giving specific advice for the company or institution being subject for eventual certification.

Activities mentioned above may be implemented as projects financed by clients. NEPCon may be involved as part of a consortium with a task to implement activities as part of such projects. In such cases, the projects and specific responsibilities of NEPCon will be clearly described and made public on NEPCon´s homepage. This is to promote a transparency and the possibility for interested parties to assess the correct implementation of NEPCon´s policy on CoI avoidance.

Tartu, 16 September 2005
Peter Feilberg
NEPCon’s Director