Conduct and Inclusion

1. Prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment

We have zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment by anyone working for or with us. This policy follows the six core principles of the UN Secretary-General's Bulletin ST/SGB/2003/13 and the UN Supplier Code of Conduct.

Who it covers

Directors, employees, contractors, consultants, agents and subcontractors, at all times, on and off duty, online and in person. We are remote-first, so video calls, chat, email, shared documents, coworking spaces and client or field sites all count as the workplace.

What is prohibited

1. Sexual exploitation or sexual abuse. Both are grounds for immediate termination.
2. Sexual activity with anyone under 18, regardless of the local age of consent. Mistaken belief about a person's age is no defence.
3. Exchanging money, employment, goods, services or assistance for sex, including sexual favours or any humiliating, degrading or exploitative behaviour.
4. Using a position on a UN project, or with its beneficiaries or supply chain, to obtain sexual favours. Sexual relationships with beneficiaries of UN assistance are strongly discouraged because of the power imbalance.
5. Sexual harassment: unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, or verbal, written, visual or physical conduct of a sexual nature, including messages and images sent through digital tools.
6. Retaliation against anyone who reports a concern in good faith or cooperates with an investigation.

How we respond

• On a UN contract, we notify the UN entity's investigation office within 24 hours of becoming aware of an allegation, and cooperate fully with any investigation.
• Reports stay confidential to those who need to know. The person reporting, and any survivor, are protected from retaliation.
• The survivor's safety, consent and access to medical, psychosocial and legal support come first.
• Substantiated misconduct leads to disciplinary action up to termination, removal from all UN work, and referral to national authorities where the law allows.

How we prevent it

• Everyone signs this policy at onboarding and completes UN PSEA training, or equivalent, within 30 days, with a refresher every year.
• Candidates for UN-facing roles are reference-checked and asked about any past findings of sexual misconduct.
• Subcontracts on UN work include this policy and the duty to report, and allow termination for breach.
• In Alberta this policy forms part of our harassment and violence prevention plan under Part 27 of the Occupational Health and Safety Code.

2. Disability inclusion

We design our work so people with disabilities can do their best work with us, and we measure whether that is happening. This covers hiring, daily work, our public materials and the goods we supply. It meets our duty to accommodate under the Alberta Human Rights Act.

Remote-first by design

We have no office. People work from wherever they do their best work, on hours that suit them. That removes commuting, building access and fixed-schedule barriers for everyone, without anyone having to ask.

How we work

• Written first: decisions, instructions and handovers are written down, so no one depends on hearing a call or keeping up in real time.
• Live captions on every video call. Agendas and materials go out at least 24 hours before a meeting.
• Role descriptions list essential duties only and say that accommodations are available.
• Candidates choose whether to apply and interview in writing, by video or by phone.

Accommodations

Anyone can ask for an accommodation at trust@vraidsys.com. We ask for no medical detail beyond what is needed to meet the need. We fund reasonable accommodations, such as assistive technology, adapted equipment or adjusted hours, up to the point of undue hardship, and keep requests confidential.

What we supply and who we buy from

Every IT goods bid we submit identifies the accessibility features of the products offered, such as built-in screen readers, magnification and captioning, and offers accessible alternatives where the buyer's specification allows. When sourcing, we invite disability-owned and disability-inclusive businesses to quote where they exist in the market.

Measures

We report these in our annual review.

3. Report a concern

Anyone, inside or outside the company, can report a concern about conduct covered by these policies to our Focal Point at trust@vraidsys.com. Anonymous reports are accepted. Reports go to a person, not to our automated order inbox.

You can also report directly to the UN entity involved. For work under an FAO contract, use the FAO Office of the Inspector General hotline.