Whistleblowing: raising concerns or complaints

The Development Fund has zero tolerance for corruption, abuse, bullying and harassment.

Whistleblowing is a way of reporting misconduct: behaviour that may be unethical, illegal, a waste of resources or that is in conflict with The Development Fund's regulations.

What constitutes corruption?

Corruption is defined by The Development Fund as all abuse of power, money or position for illegitimate personal or group benefits.

This includes all forms of ethical corruption, whether financial (for example bribes, embezzlement, extortion, kickbacks and fraud) or other forms of personal benefit or pleasure.

It also covers all forms of nepotism and illegitimate favouritism of groups or employees based on ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation or other identity.

This list is not exhaustive and does not mean that something not listed here is allowed.

Whistleblowing at The Development Fund

The Development Fund encourages everyone to report suspicions of unethical or illegal behaviour. Sanctions or reprisals against individuals who report such suspicions are not permitted.

It is important that illegal or unethical conditions are uncovered quickly. The development fund has its own channels and routines for reporting such conditions.

We encourage that complaints of misconduct are directed to the person concerned and/or the relevant line manager because this person is closest to the activities. If the issues are not resolved through dialogue, or it is difficult to address them directly with the person in question, we recommend that our online whistleblowing mechanism below be used.

How to report misconduct at The Development Fund

Send an anonymous written complaint to our complaints committee

Phone: +47 23 10 96 00 – ask to speak with Complaints committee or Secretary General

Mail: Utviklingsfondet
Att.: Complaints committee - CONFIDENTIAL
Mariboes gate 8, 0183 Oslo, Norway.

The complaint should contain the following information

What happened? Is it a violation of the law or a violation of the company's written ethical guidelines?
How did you find out about the misconduct?
Who is involved?
Where did it happen? Where was it discovered?
When did it happen?
Has it happened multiple times?
Were there witnesses present?

Please specify whether you have witnessed this information first hand, whether it is something you suspect or whether it is something you have heard from others.
Attach specific examples and evidence/documentation if available. Also feel free to provide contact information on any witnesses to the incident(s). Even if you do not have complete information, you should report any suspicion of misconduct.

Full confidentiality

All complaints will be treated confidentially. The identity of the whistleblower will be kept confidential. The whistleblower has the right to remain anonymous. However, it will make our investigation of the circumstances easier if the person concerned provides their name and contact information.

Whistleblowing routines and handling of misconduct in The Development Fund

Here you will find The Development Fund's routines for internal and external complaints, and our routines for how we handle misconduct cases.

What is misconduct?

Misconduct can mean violations of legal rules, internal rules, guidelines or ethical and professional norms, including behaviour such as sexual abuse, discrimination and drug abuse; it also applies to conditions that are dangerous to life and health; and financial irregularities such as embezzlement, corruption, fraud and nepotism.

Who can complain?

Anyone affected by our work or the projects we support may complain, including:

Employees, consultants and others directly involved in the organisation
Our partner organisations
Institutional/individual donors
Supporters and stakeholders

When should you complain?

The Development Fund has zero tolerance for financial irregularities, sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse. As soon as you have a reasonable suspicion of misconduct, it must be notified. If you are unsure whether to complain, it is better to do so than not.

How is the complaint handled?

The complaint is handled by persons responsible for complaints in The Development Fund: the head of the board, the secretary general and the staff safety representative. If the whistleblower leaves contact information, they will be informed that the complaint has been received, and within a month they will be informed about if and how the matter will be taken forward.

If necessary in the event of suspicion of financial misconduct, an external auditor will be employed by The Development Fund to investigate and document the misconduct. Change in routines to prevent similar situations in the future must take place.