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The action medeor Code of Conduct sets out the binding general principles of ethical behavior for all employees, the Executive Board, the Presidium and the advisory bodies of action medeor. This includes the organization, the action medeor Foundation and the Tanzanian and Malawian branches. Together with the applicable policies, procedures and instructions, the anti-corruption guidelines and the conditions agreed in the employment contracts, this code forms the working basis for all employees, the Executive Board, the Presidium and the advisory bodies.

All employees undertake to comply with defined anti-corruption guidelines. In these guidelines, action medeor endorses the guidelines on the prevention of corrupt behavior adopted by Transparency International and, with the Anti-Corruption Guidelines, provides a binding guideline for work in Germany and abroad.

In addition to its mission, action medeor's mission statement also defines the organization's values and principles of action. These are shaped by the translation of the Latin word “medeor” into German: “I help, I heal.” You are also welcome to take a look at action medeor's mission statement.

This is a commitment by all EU countries to coordinate their humanitarian aid measures on the basis of defined principles. The four principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality were adopted as the central elements of humanitarian work. Further information at eur-lex.europa.eu.

The Core Humanitarian Standard comprises nine commitments on the quality of humanitarian work. It thus defines the essential components of responsible humanitarian aid with the aim of improving the quality and effectiveness of this aid. The CHS was developed in 2014 as the result of an intensive consultation process and combines the central objectives of existing standards.

The Code of Conduct is a code of conduct of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and non-governmental relief organizations in disaster relief. The aim of the Code of Conduct is to set generally applicable standards for relief operations and improve their quality.

The Sphere Project is a voluntary initiative of numerous non-governmental organizations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement for a kind of quality management of non-governmental organizations with the aim of improving the quality and accountability of humanitarian workers. At the heart of the initiative is the Sphere Handbook, which is regularly revised and contains the Humanitarian Charter as well as the minimum standards in the core areas of humanitarian emergency aid that are essential for survival.

The 12 basic rules of humanitarian aid were adopted by the members of the Coordination Committee of the Federal Foreign Office, which was founded in 1994. The KoA is the platform for exchange and cooperation between German non-governmental organizations and ministries of the Federal Government. For example, the rules set out the right to humanitarian aid and humanitarian protection regardless of race, religion, nationality, political conviction or other distinguishing features.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the UN in 2016. They followed on from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were in force until 2015. In contrast to the MDGs, the SGDs refer not only to goals for countries in the Global South, but also for countries in the Global North. They thus define global social, economic and environmental goals for all countries of the United Nations. The SGDs consist of a total of 17 main goals and 169 sub-goals. Together, they form the 2030 Agenda. For the work of NGOs, the 17 main goals in particular should serve as overarching goals for the respective development cooperation project measures.

The Istanbul CSO Development Effectiveness Principles were published in 2010 at the Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness, in whose development a total of 2,000 civil society organizations worldwide were involved. The Open Forum in Istanbul can be seen as part of a process aimed at developing generally applicable standards and principles for humanitarian aid and development cooperation. The principles adopted here are intended to combine work in humanitarian crisis situations with long-term engagement in the context of development cooperation.

The OECD DAC criteria were published by the Development Assistance Committee in 1991. They have been used in development cooperation ever since. A total of six overarching aspects should be taken into account by NGOs and state institutions when planning and implementing development cooperation projects: Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Results, Overarching impact, Sustainability. The aim is to use these criteria to improve the quality and quantity of development cooperation. They can therefore be described as quality standards that serve to subject development cooperation projects to regular critical analysis.

action medeor is a member of the Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (VENRO). The aim of the codes is to improve the quality of civil society development cooperation and humanitarian aid through common principles and standards and to make the work of VENRO members transparent for the public and donors.

action medeor is a member of the Transparent Civil Society Initiative, which is committed to greater transparency and accountability in the civil society sector. According to the initiative's standards, each member must make ten basic points for greater transparency accessible to the public. These include the articles of association, the names of key decision-makers and information on the source of funds, use of funds and personnel structure.

Companies are welcome as supporting partners of action medeor if they support the mission of the organization and comply with the ethical guidelines for corporate cooperation, which are based on the United Nations Global Compact, which is concluded between companies and the UN to make globalization more social and ecological. action medeor is also committed to these standards.

The suppliers and service providers of action medeor are carefully selected. Ethical criteria are also applied in the selection process. In the case of manufacturers of medicines and medical production, action medeor attaches importance to working conditions, among other things. action medeor follows the guidelines of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

action medeor campaigns for public support for its work. The basic rules for good, ethical fundraising of the German Fundraising Association are observed.

Purchasing at action medeor procures its products in accordance with the Humanitarian Procurement Centers standard: The standard includes ethical procurement, equal treatment, non-discrimination and transparency.