Conflict of Interest Policy

1.Scope and meaning

This policy applies to board members, staff, volunteers, editors, reviewers and advisers when they act for World Wide. Relevant interests can be financial, professional, institutional, academic, family or personal, and they include benefits to a connected person or organisation. The test is whether a reasonable observer could doubt the independence of the decision.

2.Disclosure

Disclose a relevant interest before the discussion or decision, and update the disclosure if circumstances change. For editorial or moderation work, disclose relationships with the submitter, subject, employer, funder or competitor. If you are unsure, disclose enough for an uninvolved decision maker to assess it.

3.Management

Take the measures a fair decision needs, in proportion to the conflict. Depending on the circumstances, they may include:

• record the interest and who assessed it;
• limit access to sensitive material where appropriate;
• obtain an independent assessment where needed;
• exclude the person from discussion, recommendation, or vote; or
• decline or revisit the decision if no proportionate mitigation works.

Transactions between an officer and the association must meet the consent and representation requirements of applicable law and the statutes. Disclosure alone does not replace those requirements.

4.Records and concerns

We document material disclosures and mitigations and limit access to the people who need them. We keep personal information only as long as the governance or legal purpose requires. To raise a concern, use the contact below and identify the decision and the interest as precisely as you can. Retaliation for a good-faith report is not acceptable.