Our safeguarding commitment
Safeguarding
The Asia Foundation believes strongly in ensuring our work environment is open, inclusive, non-discriminatory, respectful, and safe for all staff, consultants, partners, members of the Board of Trustees, subgrantees, and other stakeholders in all locations where The Asia Foundation operates. We have policies that govern our work and conduct founded on strong ethical values and principles of fairness, equity, professional conduct, and the respectful treatment of others.
When working with communities and partners, The Asia Foundation recognizes the need to maintain the highest ethical and professional standards to ensure power inequalities are not abused or exploited. This is reflected in one of our core values, Trust and Partnership, and our operations and programs reflect the integrity and accountability of our staff, who are trusted by individuals and institutions across the Asia Pacific. As part of this commitment, The Asia Foundation has an overarching safeguarding program that governs our work and conduct.
Maintaining effective safeguards is a dynamic process. Policies, procedures, and attendant training programs are reviewed and enhanced as needed and when appropriate. These measures meet and, generally, exceed donor and program sponsor compliance standards and the legal requirements and regulations governing our operations in each country in which we work. In any instance where Foundation staff, auditors, donors, subgrantees, or other stakeholders identify or report an impropriety, ethical violation, or other breaches of policy or procedure, the Foundation is committed to acting swiftly to investigate, remedy, and prevent any further instances of such conduct.
The Asia Foundation is committed to safeguarding staff and the communities we serve from sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH), and to creating an environment where people feel safe to come forward with sexual harassment, exploitation, or abuse claims. We take reports extremely seriously and protect witnesses as well as victims. In keeping with our commitment, The Asia Foundation is guided by a survivor-centered approach to sexual violence prevention and response and strives to prioritize the needs, rights, and wishes of SEAH survivors to ensure the compassionate and sensitive delivery of services in a nonjudgmental manner.
Reporting Concerns
We have formal reporting channels, policies, and procedures, and all Foundation stakeholders are encouraged to follow established reporting channels for issues of misconduct or other wrongdoing involving personnel, financial transactions with partners, suppliers, communities, unacceptable behavior towards children, other members of the communities, or other stakeholders.
The Asia Foundation has put in place a single reporting line for receiving reports of fraud, misappropriation, discrimination, sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and other wrongful conduct. The hotline is available to staff, partners, consultants, community members, and members of the public 24 hours a day by phone or online. Users can type their complaints in English or their native language and can choose to disclose their contact information or remain anonymous. The Asia Foundation believes that any stakeholder has the right to raise a complaint, have that complaint addressed and receive a response. Reprisals against people for reporting are a breach of our code of conduct.
Reports can be made anonymously, however, we encourage reporters to provide enough detail so the Foundation is able to thoroughly and effectively pursue, investigate and address concerns.