By Law

 

1. The aim, 2. General principles, 3. Code of conduct for personnel, 4. Conflict of Interest Policy, 5. Visibility and communication policy, 6. Standards of Fundraising Practice, 7. Subscriptions, 8. Procedures on the Co-ordination Policy, 9. Procedures for Public Tenders, 10. Procurement Guidelines, 11. Personnel policy statement, 12. Personnel Training, 13. Organisational Chart, 14. Structure, 15. Mission Protocol

1. The aim
Fair Planet is a non-governmental organisation, serving worldwide, the need of offering to people and the community as a whole in every legitimate way.

Fair Planet's objective is the active mobilization of citizens aiming to pursuit the following:

1) The provision of emergency humanitarian or development aid, in order to contribute to social and economic development of people and communities of countries throughout the world that have suffered natural disasters, civil conflicts or wars.
2) Actions aim at the real needs of the beneficiary population and are compatible with the Treaties and International Principles, taking into account the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, promoting democracy, gender equality and protecting vulnerable social groups.
3) The promotion of volunteering as a social intervention and the enhancement of human solidarity without discrimination, regardless of creed, ethnic origin, disability, age, sexual orientation and political status and with full acceptance of the principles of human rights.
4) The effective planning and implementation of 1) development projects in developing countries, tailored to local conditions and needs, aiming at combating long-term poverty and at ameliorating the overall living conditions, 2) emergency humanitarian programs (distribution of humanitarian aid, health care organisation) aiming to affront humanitarian crises deriving from armed conflicts, migration, environmental conditions, etc.
Fair Planet launches actions and programmes with emphasis given to the fight against poverty and the conditions which create and reproduce it, to the provision of clean water, housing, vocational rehabilitation training, the harmonization of programs to environmental protection, to strengthen human rights, to the elimination of the disadvantages of women, the reduction of infant and child mortality, the protection of children and the empowerment of primary health and education.

Fair Planet’s Key criteria for action are:

The need for intervention is defined as a priority by the recipient country (relevance),
efficacy (effectiveness),
efficiency (efficiency),
Awareness of the impact of activities in social and environmental life of the target (impact),
The sustainability of the activities (viability).
5) Creating awareness in developed countries about the situation in developing countries of the so-called «Third World», both in terms of environmental degradation, the need for environmental protection measures and the fight against poverty.
6) Develop programs and support networks to assist disadvantaged social and population groups with special priority to women and children.
7) Promoting cooperation with other agencies, organisations and national and international associations aiming at relative purposes and take action in the fight against poverty, the promotion of human rights and environmental protection. Any cooperation shall be based on transparency, and mutual respect.
8) Any other activity related to the above purposes.

2. General principles

Members of the organisation should respect the objectives of the organisation, embrace and defend the principles of human rights, be socially ecologically aware, be available to offer selflessly and approach humanitarian action as an integral part of political life.
Humanitarian need is a priority.
The right to receive and offer humanitarian aid and development assistance is a fundamental humanitarian principle for all citizens of all countries. As members of the international community, Fair Planet recognizes its obligation to provide humanitarian aid or development assistance wherever needed. The unimpeded access to affected populations is vital in order to implement the obligations assumed by the Company. The prim objective is to aid those affected and alleviate human suffering following a disaster, whatever its causes. Humanitarian and development assistance is not a nationalist or political act and should not be perceived as such.
Assistance is offered regardless of race, creed or nationality of the recipients and without any prejudice.
Humanitarian or development assistance is prioritized on the sole criterion of need. Wherever possible, the provision of relief aid or development aid will be based upon a thorough assessment of the needs of the disaster victims and the local capacities already in place to meet those needs. All Fair Planet programs are governed by the principle of proportionality. Consequently, the assistance is proportional to the destruction suffered.
Humanitarian or development assistance is not be used to promote political or religious standpoints.
Life is equally valuable everywhere. The humanitarian and development assistance is available depending on the need of individuals, families and communities, following as closely as possible a comprehensive assessment of humanitarian needs and preparedness of the domestic mechanisms to respond to them.
Fair Planet shall not act as subject to priorities or needs of any government’s foreign policy
Fair Planet acts autonomously in planning and implementing programs based solely on the needs of the target populations, regardless of particular governmental policies.
Fair Planet shall never knowingly – or through negligence – allow its members, or 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 and purely humanitarian.
Fair Planet values and promotes voluntary work and funding by concerned individuals. In order to preserve its independence, Fair Planet shall avoid unilateral dependence upon a single financial source.
The implementation of a universal, impartial and independent action is prerequisite for providing fair assistance.
Fair Planet respects the culture and customs of the societies where it acts.
Fair Planet is bound to respect culture, customs and infrastructure of the recipient community or country.
Fair Planet is building mechanisms to deal with disasters of the potential recipient countries.
As part of the activities and programs Fair Planet seeks to strengthen local communities by hiring domestic personnel, purchasing domestic materials and cooperating with domestic companies.
Fair Planet will work with local NGOs in planning and implementing programs will cooperate with local governmental, international organisations and agencies, whenever required.
The beneficiaries of the programs should be involved in the management of aid.
Actions of emergency relief or development aid should never be imposed on beneficiaries.
Fair Planet is committed to making every effort to ensure the full consent and participation of recipient community in Humanitarian aid, development assistance and rehabilitation programs.
Fair Planet considers itself responsible to both those who receive and those who participate in the reservation of assistance.
All our dealings with donors and beneficiaries are governed by sincerity and transparency.
In all information, publicity and advertising activities, Fair Planet shall recognise disaster victims as people with dignity and not as hopeless beings.
Fair Planet plights to develop a communication policy that shall portray an objective image of the disaster situation .It will cooperate with the media in order to enhance public response.
Fair Planet is committed not to engage in rivalries with other disaster response agencies for media coverage in situations where such coverage may be disastrous for the beneficiaries or exposes its members and personnel at risk.
Fair Planet condemns any violation of human rights and all given public information is accurate, truthful, non-misleading complying strictly to respect the dignity of people.
Any violation of human rights shall be noted by its members, with credibility and seriousness.

3. Code of conduct for personnel

"The central factor in the success of humanitarian action is the dedication of the personnel"

All personnel comply with the policies that guide Fair Planet’s action and management. Related training, support and resources are provided to all members of personnel enabling them to work efficiently, responsibly and effectively.

All personnel must necessarily attend Fair Planet’s educational seminars.
All personnel must respect with Fair Planet’s bylaw, has clear work objectives and performance standards, know whom they report to and what management support they will receive. All personnel must comply with Fair Planet’s disciplinary procedures.
Contacts and mailing lists should be available to all personnel.
Coordination and cooperation between personnel is indispensable.
These procedures facilitate everyone’s work and ensure the proper functioning of the organisation.
The intimidation and harassment play no part in Fair Planets working culture and our principles, while the equal opportunities policy requires every member of personnel to protect his colleagues from all harassment.
Any member of personnel who feels that is not treated in accordance with the policy of equal opportunities, has - under the law - the right to denounce it. However, every effort should be made to handle these matters informally and internally, at least in the first stage. Personnel must not be intimidated, discriminated against or treated differently for raising a concern or complaining.
The «Whistleblowing policy" aims to encourage and enable the personnel to express their concerns and to denounce serious malpractice, such as financial crimes, violations of the law, poor or unequal treatment and violations of the principles, policies and the Code of Ethics FAIR PLANET has adopted.

4. Conflict of Interest Policy

Before or upon assuming their duties, Members of the Steering Committee, employees and volunteers should read and agree to comply with the following.
Directors, employees and volunteers of the Organisation should avoid any conflicts of interest between themselves and Fair Planet.
A conflict of interest arises:

When a person’s private interest interferes in any way or even appears to interfere with the interests of the organisation as a whole.
When a person takes actions or has interests that make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively for Fair Planet.
Directors must not engage in any inconsistent with the aims of the organisation conduct or activity.
A director, or any member of his or her immediate family, should not offer, solicit or accept gifts in those instances where the gift is being offered in order to influence the director’s actions as a Steering Committee member, or where the offer, solicitation or acceptance of such gift gives the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Directors should not accept compensation for services performed for the organisation from any source other than Fair Planet.
In particular, a possible conflict of interest involving members of the board, directors, employees or volunteers, who occupy supervisory positions or who have the distinct authority to deal with any third party, including the following:

Any significant ownership interest in any supplier;
Any consulting or employment relationship with any supplier or competitor;
Any outside business activity that detracts from an individual's ability to devote appropriate time and attention to his or her responsibilities.
The acceptance of gifts from a third party with which the FAIR PLANET has current or potential transactions.
Any situation that involves, or appears to involve, a conflict of interest must be disclosed to the president or another member of the board.
All supervisors, in good faith disclose conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest concerning them. Supervisors must disclose their financial interests associated with organisations which cooperate with the FAIR PLANET.
No member of the Organisation shall vote on, nor approve of, and not sign off on a resolution or participate in, any discussion about a resolution, to approve a contract in which he/she has an interest.
All employees and volunteers will reveal immediately to their supervisor or the president in writing, any business, commercial or financial interest where such interest might be construed as being in real, potential or apparent conflict with their duties.
Service to FAIR PLANET should not aim at personal advantage or profit.

5. Visibility and communication policy

We seek an explicit and clear visibility and communication strategy to promote and achieve our objectives. We strive to inform the public of our activities and aims through our website, www.fairplanet.gr , with the concession of radio and television interviews, press releases and printed materials, and by organizing cultural events, lecturers and conferences on different issues.

A. Guiding Principles

The choices of images and messages will be based on the following fundamental principles:

Respect for the dignity of the people concerned;
Belief in the equality of all people;
Protection of impartiality, justice and solidarity
Accordingly in all our communications and where practical and reasonable within the need to reflect reality, we strive to:

Choose images and related messages based on values of respect equality, solidarity and justice;
Truthfully represent any image or depicted situation both in its immediate and in its wider context so as to improve public understanding of the realities and complexities of development;
Avoid images and messages that potentially stereotype, sensationalise or discriminate against people, situations or places;
Use images, messages and case studies with the full understanding, participation and permission (or subjects’ parents/guardian) of the subjects;
Ensure those whose situation is being represented have the opportunity to communicate their stories themselves;
Establish and record whether the subjects wish to be named or identifiable and always act accordingly;
Conform to the highest standards in relation to human rights and protection of the vulnerable people.
Conform to the highest standards in relation to children's rights according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC); as children are the subjects most frequently portrayed.
B. Declaration of Commitment

As signatories to this Code, we confirm that our commitment to best practice in communications affects the entirety of our organisation.
By signing the Code, we commit to putting in place meaningful mechanisms to ensure that the Code’s principles are implemented throughout all activities of our organisation.

Our responsibilities as a signatory to this Code lead us to be accountable in our public communications as follows:

We will make the existence of the Code known to the public and all our partners and will provide a feedback mechanism whereby anyone can comment on the fulfilment of the Code and where any member of the public will have a ‘right to challenge’ our application of the Code.
We will communicate our commitment to best practice in the communication of images and messages in all our public policy statements by placing the following statement on our relevant public communications (annual reports, website, policy statements, governance documents, leaflets and communication materials etc).
We commit to assess our public communications on an annual basis according to the guiding principles.
We will ensure that all relevant suppliers, contractors and media will adhere to the Code when working with our organisation.
We commit to training our personnel on the use of images and messages.
6. Standards of Fundraising Practice

All fundraising activities will, first and foremost, adhere to the most rigorous interpretation of the (European and international) law, and of the Code of Conduct Fair Planet has adopted.

According to Fair Planet’s principals Donations should be accepted only if voluntary.
Funds shall not be raised for personal financial gain.
Funds will be collected with respect of donor’s free will, without the use of pressure, harassment, intimidation or coercion.
Fair Planet is strictly answerable to all donors and will respect donor rights by providing timely information about how contributions are used, respecting donor privacy.
The Fundraising department shall assure that all fundraising transactions, accounting and reporting are transparent and unambiguous.
Major sources of funding; include membership dues, grants from international institutions or EU-grants, Hellenic Aid, Sponsors and private donations

Fair Planet’s fundraising methods consist of:

Recruiting supporters and volunteers through campaigning, organizing exhibitions, lectures and seminars, auctioning etc.
By being listed on host fundraising web sites
On line donations through Fair Planet’s Web site.
Seeking Sponsors by providing compelling cases for support.
7. Subscriptions

All member partners, volunteers and subscribers pay a minimum monthly contribution, as defined in the amount of 15 euros for member partners and 10 euros for volunteers and subscribers.
No doubt-ably, each member can increase the amount of his/hers monthly contribution at will, or can pay any amount as sponsorship for the purposes of the organisation.
Subscriptions are paid on a monthly, half-yearly or annual basis.
Upon the decision of the Steering Committee the minimum amount of contribution may be amended.

8. Procedures on the Co-ordination Policy

According to Fair Planet’s Contract of Foundation and Constitution, seeks to achieve co-operation with international and national organisations and agencies which share its Aims and principles is fundamentally aimed at. Fair Planet participates in National and international networks involved in the fight against poverty, the promotion of human rights and the environmental protection.

Fair Planet’s constitutive terms include: Co-operation, information exchange and communication with other organisations and agencies operating in countries where Fair Planet’s programs are implemented

Co-operations are based on transparency and mutual respect.
FAIR PLANET undertakes project implementation upon request of local communities, organisations and partners, examining and assessing the needs of the direct beneficiaries with strict respect culture, customs and habits of the local people involved in its projects.

Active participation of the local partners and direct beneficiaries is imperative, from planning to implementation, of the project while in all financial issues, frankness and transparency fairness in co-operation is required.
Written agreement for every co-operation activity is signed in before hand between Fair Planet and the local partners.

9. Procedures for Public Tenders

The procedures followed for Public Tenders, comply with the legal requirements of the main donors and the country involved. Fair Planet emphasizes on the transparency of the procedures followed. Valuation lies upon the credibility of tenders, the exploitation of resources, to the non-exploitation of child labour, the respect of human rights and working conditions, stakes and the quality of services and works.

Publications and advertising of invitations to tender and tender notices are sufficient and appropriate to ensure genuine competition. The tender notice shall specify the rules governing the lodging/submission and presentation of tenders, the exclusion, selection and award criteria and set out all technical specifications.

Fair Planet ensures adequate advance publication and reasonable time for the presentation of tenders.
Participation in tendering procedures shall be open on equal terms to all tenderers.
Tenderers and candidates must meet high ethical standards during the procurement and execution of contracts.

Fair Planet shall reject any proposal put forward by tenderers or candidates who:

Are subject to a conflict of interest;
Are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required as a condition of participation in the contract procedure or fail to supply this information.
They are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations.
They have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgement that has the force of res judicata.
They have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means that can be justified.
They have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established or those of the country where the contract is to be performed.
They have been the subject of a judgement that has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation or any other illegal activity detrimental to the Communities' financial interests.
Following another procurement procedure, they have been declared to be in serious breach of contract for failure to comply with their contractual obligations.
Candidates or tenderers must certify that they are not in one of the situations listed above.
The number of candidates invited to submit a tender may not be less than four, provided that a sufficient number of candidates satisfy the selection criteria. In any case, the number of candidates invited shall be sufficient to ensure genuine competition.

Exceptionally, Fair Planet may place an order on the basis of a single quote in the following cases:

In primary emergency and emergency operations.
Whenever no tenderers or no suitable tenderers have been submitted in response to an open, restricted or negotiated procedure after the initial procedure has been completed, provided that the original terms of the contract are not substantially altered.
Whenever, for technical reasons or for reasons connected with the protection of exclusive rights, the contract can be awarded only to a particular economic operator.
For additional contracts consisting in the repetition/renewal of services, works or supplies entrusted to a contractor awarded an earlier contract in a similar humanitarian operation in the same region, provided that the terms of the original contract are not substantially altered and that the first contract was awarded after publication of a tender notice.
The works, services or goods supplied on the basis of a single quote must comply with the following requirements:

Satisfactory quality.
Timely delivery or completion.
The price corresponds to market prices and does not affect adversely the budget and efficiency of the project.
The assessment of tender proposals shall be based on the necessary technical and administrative expertise.
Contracts shall be awarded to the tender offering the best price-quality ratio taking always into account the following criteria: price, quality, compliance with international norms and delay for delivery.

10. Procurement Guidelines

Fair Planet has established a general code of conduct regarding Procurement. While in practice, specific Procurement Rules and Procedures followed in the implementation of a project can be altered to comply with the circumstances and particular cases.
Fair Planet has no list of favoured suppliers as it aims on transparency and seeks to secure the best quality and price. Thus Goods and Services to be procured should be of satisfactory quality and be compatible with the balance of the project.
Fair Planet does emphasize on the priority given to supplies from the local markets of the recipient countries where projects are implemented, promoting welfare of local communities.

Fair Planet’s social objectives will be taken in consideration:

Call for the participation of local communities and/or Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the delivery of services.
Increase the use of local know-how and materials.
Employment of local labour.
Fair Planet is strictly engaged not to accept “corrupt practice” in any circumstance. Thus offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting, directly or indirectly, of any thing of value to influence the action of a public official in the procurement process or in the contract execution.
Fair Planet will reject a proposal if the bidder has, directly or through an agent, been engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, collusive, or coercive practices in competing for the contract in question.
The invitation to qualify for bidding on specific contracts shall be advertised. The scope of the contract and a clear statement of the requirements for qualification shall be sent to those who responded to the invitation. All such applicants that meet the specified criteria shall be allowed to bid. Fair Planet will respect the confidentiality of the bidders’ technical proposals used in the first stage. Fair Planet shall inform all applicants of the results of qualification. As soon as qualification is completed, the bidding documents shall be made available to requirements of transparency and intellectual property.
In addition to price, socio-environmental factors shall be considered in bid evaluation and the manner in which they will be applied for the purpose of determining the lowest evaluated bid. For goods and equipment, other factors may be taken into consideration including, among others, payment schedule, delivery time, operating costs, efficiency and compatibility of the equipment, availability of service and spare parts, and related training, safety, and environmental benefits.

The procurement of pharmaceutical products shall abide by international norms and respect patents and national drug regulations in the individual countries. The purchase of medicines is based on the pre-qualification of pharmaceutical manufacturers who comply with the World Health Organisation Good Manufacturing Practice Guidelines. The award criteria shall give priority to suppliers of medical devices that comply with ISO certification 9001/EN46001 or ISO 9002/EN46002 in respect to Medical equipment.

The rights and obligations of both Fair Planet and the providers of goods and works for the project are governed by the bidding documents, and by the contracts signed by both parties. The contract documents shall clearly define the scope of work to be performed, the goods to be supplied, the rights and obligation of both Fair Planet and of the supplier or contractor. In addition to the general conditions of a contract, any special conditions particular to specific goods or works to be procured and the location of the project shall be included. The conditions of contract shall provide a balance in the allocation of risks and liabilities.