Our organisational policies & guidelines

You can make a complaint about a UNICEF Australia worker who said or did something bad. A UNICEF Australia worker will listen, take you seriously and act to keep you safe. UNICEF Australia’s workers will respond fast. Immediately if urgent! Otherwise within one week.

UNICEF’s commitment to safeguarding children is reflected in its global Policy on Conduct Promoting the Protection and Safeguarding of Children (CF/EXD/2016-006), which establishes internal measures to prevent and respond to child abuse and exploitation in its programmes and operations across the world.

As part of the global UNICEF alliance, UNICEF Australia also takes its duty of care to safeguarding children very seriously and has a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse and exploitation.

This Code of Conduct is part of UNICEF Australia’s broader Child Safeguarding (CS) and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) strategy. It recognises and intends to address the power imbalances that can exist between staff/associates and project participants/stakeholders, children and adults, and men and women, especially in development and humanitarian contexts.

UNICEF Australia recognises that climate change and environmental degradation present direct and immediate threats to the ability of children throughout the world to survive, grow, and thrive. This is especially true for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children, who overwhelmingly live in areas that are less resilient to climate shocks.

All representatives of UNICEF Australia, including its Board of Directors, staff, consultants, interns and volunteers, whether in a paid or unpaid capacity, should at all times maintain the highest standards of integrity and conduct, consistent with our values.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure transparency and accountability to all stakeholders in relation to complaints regarding UNICEF Australia, its operations, and its staff. This policy seeks to make clear the mechanisms available for making complaints and the way in which complaints will be handled and resolved.

For quick information on how to make a complaint please visit our complaints page.

At UNICEF Australia we are dedicated to protecting and upholding our reputation as an organisation with the highest ethical standards. Our dealings internally, and with all external parties are conducted honestly and with integrity. We are all ambassadors for our Values and we are committed to ensuring our business practices are ethical, legal, straight forward and transparent. We are respectful of, and compliant with, the laws in all parts of the world in which we operate and our reputation is at the core of everything that we do. 

Directly Supported Programs (DSPs) are projects for which UNICEF Australia remits specific earmarked funds, and where it has ongoing engagement in support, monitoring and management. All DSPs are developed with UNICEF Country Office partners, to support their work with respective Governments and institutions to make systemic changes in policy and capacity to fulfil children’s rights. 

An instance of fraud, corruption or bribery can deplete resources intended to support UNICEF Australia’s objectives. The existence or suspicion of fraud, corruption or bribery can also have a significant adverse effect on UNICEF Australia’s brand and reputation. The policy and associated procedures outline the framework and internal mechanisms for preventing, identifying, reporting and responding to fraud, corruption and bribery, both within UNICEF Australia, the projects we support and the partner Country Offices & Implementing Partners who implement them.

The company members are the persons who are company members at the time of adopting the constitution for the Australian Committee for UNICEF Limited (UNICEF Australia); the directors of UNICEF Australia; and any other persons the directors admit to company membership in accordance with the constitution of UNICEF Australia and this policy.

This Privacy Policy sets out the approach which the Australian Committee for UNICEF Ltd will take in relation to the handling of Personal Information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act). It includes information on how UNICEF Australia collects, holds, uses and discloses Personal Information and the steps we take to protect that information. It also covers how you may access and seek the correction of the Personal Information that UNICEF Australia collects and holds about you.

UNICEF Australia procurement involves the expenditure of donor funds. Donors are entitled to be assured that the funds we expend are done so responsibly, sustainably and in alignment with the purpose of UNICEF Australia. Procurement is governed by strict considerations of materiality, probity, transparency, sustainability and accountability to ensure that the decision-making processes withstand donor & stakeholder scrutiny. To the extent possible, procurement processes will be kept simple to maximise efficiency and reduce costs.

UNICEF Australia believes all individuals have the right to live free from sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), including sexual violence, bullying, punishment, retaliation and any abuse of power due to age, nationality, race, sex, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, culture, ethnicity, indigeneity, language, religious or political belief, socio-economic status, family or criminal background, disability, physical or mental health, displacement, or any other status. SEA are unacceptable breaches of human rights and contravene UA’s core values. 

Any request for refund of contributions already donated to UNICEF Australia by a supporter will be considered and determined on a case-by-case basis.

The Australian Committee for UNICEF Limited (UNICEF Australia) is committed to being open and transparent with information relating to our operations, financial management, the work we do and the people that we work with. Through our website, our people, our publicly available reports and via our engagements with the media, we make factual and up to date information available to everyone.

Australian Committee for UNICEF Limited (ABN 35 060 581 437) (UNICEF Australia) is committed to the highest standard of conduct and ethical behaviour in its business activities and to promoting and supporting a culture of corporate compliance and honest and ethical behaviour. UNICEF Australia encourages the reporting of suspected unethical, illegal, fraudulent, corrupt or dishonest conduct and shall ensure that those who promptly report may do so with confidence and without fear of intimidation, ramifications or adverse consequences.

UNICEF Australia is an equal opportunity employer committed to making sure there is no unlawful conduct in its employment practices or in its workplaces whilst employees and other workers are at work. Discrimination, harassment and/or bullying is unlawful. UNICEF Australia will not tolerate harassment and bullying in the workplace and strives to ensure that all complaints of discrimination, harassment and/or bullying are dealt with promptly, confidentially, and fairly.