Safeguarding and reporting misconduct

As an organization working to build a more sustainable and inclusive world, IDRC has a collective responsibility to uphold and promote high ethical standards in our policies, programs and practices, as well as in our daily work and activities. IDRC has a zero-tolerance approach to inaction against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) in the delivery of our research-for-development mandate. We are committed to preventing and responding wherever possible to SEAH and misconduct during all our research activities.  

IDRC’s Preventing and Responding to Sexual Exploitation Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) policy is the cornerstone of our efforts and reflects IDRC’s commitment to protect those in more vulnerable situations, prevent and respond to abuses of power, and hold people to account.

In line with our effort to eliminate as many potential barriers to reporting as possible, our incident reporting tool, ClearView Connects™, provides a platform and hotline for individuals to confidentially share concerns or incidents about unethical conduct related to our mandate and activities.

How to report misconduct

Ensuring issues and concerns are promptly raised and addressed is fundamental to maintaining our high ethical standards. Anyone can raise a concern or make a misconduct report to IDRC about something they have experienced, witnessed or heard. 

Reports can be made on our incident reporting platform regarding any of the following topics: sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment, fraud, theft, data security and privacy breaches, harm to property, conflicts of interest, disclosure of possible wrongdoing, other unethical conduct and/or violations of IDRC's Code of Conduct, policies, applicable laws, among others.

All report reviews and follow-up investigations will be conducted in a manner that respects confidentiality and fair process requirements (including, among others, informing the parties to a complaint, timely investigation, and providing the parties with an opportunity to provide their accounts). 

Individuals can submit a report via the Centre’s incident reporting platform anonymously. However, individuals who choose this option should be aware that further enquiry and/or investigation, and any provision of support, may be limited.

For more on what to expect from the incident reporting platform, ClearView Connects™

How does the incident reporting process work? 

All individuals are encouraged to make a report as soon as possible after becoming aware of any such incident or concern. 

IDRC recognizes that the decision to report misconduct and SEAH can be difficult. IDRC will support those who make such a report, whether or not their report is upheld. For SEAH-related reports, the Centre recognizes the importance of survivor access to specialized services and will provide appropriate and safe referral information and support regardless of an investigation going ahead.

Our commitment to safeguarding and accountability

IDRC takes a holistic approach in our efforts to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) and other forms of misconduct. 

• Policy: IDRC’s Preventing and Responding to Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) policy is the cornerstone of the Centre’s safeguarding efforts. IDRC’s approach to transparency in all elements of policy and practice is set out further on IDRC’s Transparency webpage. 

• Recruitment, procurement: IDRC’s recruitment processes for job candidates and casual workers include reference checks and mandatory PSEAH questions to screen whether individuals pose any SEAH or misconduct risks. IDRC’s procurement process for suppliers includes PSEAH-specific supplier assessment criteria and related contractual clauses. 

• Trainings: All IDRC staff members undergo trainings on IDRC’s commitment to high ethical standards and avenues to report any incidents of misconduct. 

• Programs: IDRC's project review processes include elements of safeguarding to integrate safeguarding and reporting misconduct in programming considerations. 

• Partnerships: IDRC’s grantee risk assessment processes include assessments of grantee safeguarding, administrative and financial management policies and practices prior to granting decisions being taken. 

The Centre regularly evaluates its existing policies, procedures and tools to provide a more robust and secure experience for everyone submitting reports. As part of our continued commitment to transparency and accountability, the Centre will also provide high-level misconduct and SEAH compliance reporting to IDRC’s Board of Governors. 

Ensuring high standards of ethical conduct is our collective responsibility. By raising issues and concerns, you are doing your part to make IDRC a more ethical, respectful, diverse and equitable organization. 

Key contacts

• If you have questions related to safeguarding, please send an email to safeguarding@idrc.ca.
• If you have any questions about disclosures of possible wrongdoing related to Canada’s Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, please email divulg@idrc.ca. 

For any other questions or comments, we invite you to use our contact form.

Additional resources

Please find our letter to grantees, research partners, and third parties on IDRC’s approach to reporting misconduct and launch of ClearView Connects™