Ethics Office (ETH)
Maintaining Integrity in Everything We Do
The mission of the Ethics Office is to promote a culture of ethics and integrity in PAHO. This includes providing guidance, advice and training to help you make the right ethical decisions and assuring compliance with all applicable rules and policies on the values, principles and standards of conduct of the Organization.
The Ethics Office is an independent entity that does not have any direct reporting relationship in PAHO, except for administrative purposes. To assure and maintain its independence, the Ethics Office reports directly to PAHO's Governing Bodies through the Executive Committee. This means that it has complete authority and autonomy and operates without any constraints in carrying out its mission.
The Ethics Office has full authority to provide decisions on ethical issues, such as whether family members or relatives can be employed or contracted by the Organization; whether you can engage in outside activities and employment, accept gifts or participate in political activities; and in any situation where there is - or appears to be - a conflict of interest.
The Ethics Office has complete access to all records and staff of the Organization. It has a duty to protect the confidentiality of information that is brought to its attention and can only share this information with people who have a legitimate need to know.
The Ethics Office is accessible to everyone who works for PAHO, irrespective of the type or duration of appointment, and to family members, clients, stakeholders and vendors. It can be contacted directly or anonymously, through the PAHO Helpline, which guarantees the reporting person's anonymity.
You should contact the Ethics Office to:
- Ask questions about PAHO's Code of Ethical Principles and Conduct and related policies;
- Inquire whether a particular situation raises ethical issues;
- Get guidance on conflict of interest concerns; and/or
- Obtain assistance on an ethical dilemma.
To help you make the right decisions, you can contact the Ethics Office directly or through its Helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week (anonymously if you wish) to ask questions about situations you think may raise ethical concerns.
By Telephone: +1-202-974-3929
By E-mail: ethics@paho.org
Through the PAHO Helpline: From any computer, tablet or mobile device with Internet access (home, Internet cafe, public library, etc.), go to the Integrity Helpline.
Through the PAHO Intranet: From the PAHO Intranet home page, click on "ETH" under "Department/Office" to be automatically linked to the Ethics Office web page. From here, click on "PAHO Helpline: Maintaining Integrity at PAHO" to access the PAHO Helpline. Please be aware that this method does not ensure the same complete anonymity as using non-PAHO equipment. Therefore, if complete anonymity is required, it is suggested that non-PAHO equipment be used instead to file a report.
In Person: Office 370 in the General Secretariat Building of the OAS Building at 1889 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006.
By Mail:
Ethics Office
Pan American Health Organization
525 23rd St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037-2895
Integrity Helpline
Use it when you need to:
- Ask questions on ethical issues or about situations you think may give rise to ethical concerns.
Report suspected wrongdoing or possible violations of PAHO's Code of Ethical Conduct.
Available in the Organization's four official languages (English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese).
Safe, secure, anonymous, and always available!
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