Vision, Values, & Policies
Our Vision
We have a vision of World Accord – the flourishing of well-being for all where:
BASIC HUMAN NEEDS ARE MET
EVERY PERSON HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO FULFILL THEIR POTENTIAL
DIVERSE PEOPLE LIVE PEACEFULLY IN GLOBAL COMMUNITY
CARE OF EARTH AND LOVE OF NEIGHBOUR SHAPE OUR LIFE TOGETHER
Our Values
PARTNERSHIP
We value sharing, learning, respect, equality, synergy, and efficiency in our work with other organizations, donors, volunteers, and staff.
DECOLONIZATION & EMPOWERMENT
We value local ownership and decision-making and believe that power shared is power multiplied. Using the principle of working “not for but with“, we see World Accord as a social change agent; not a helping organization. Our focus on capacity building by bringing people together leaves space for partners to exercise their power. It is essential that we (staff, board, donors) constantly reflect on and assess how our position of privilege impacts our language, ideologies, policies, representation and relationships with our partners. It is our responsibility to create spaces for honest conversations, interrogate our own biases, ensure diverse representation on our Board, and educate ourselves to ensure western thought and approaches are not privileged over others.
SUSTAINABILITY
We value self-sufficiency in environmental, financial, and social soundness and honour humanity’s responsibility towards future generations.
INTEGRITY
We value and model transparency and accountability in our interactions with partner organizations, donors, volunteers, and staff.
INTERDEPENDENCE
We value interactions that recognize that all people are dependent on each other for the successful sustainable development of our world. We are not striving for development for “them” but global development for “all of us.”
JUSTICE
We value justice and believe that all people have an inherent right to justice and opportunity, irrespective of gender, economic, social, cultural, religious, educational, or political considerations. There can be no sustainable peace without justice.
Our Theory of Change
Our six core values contribute to local ownership of results and processes from our partners which then leads to community initiatives that respond to the needs of the participants, as well as a governance model which is more inclusive. Ultimately, community members – especially the women and girls, become more empowered, with the support of men and boys, while their communities become even more resilient. Finally, this produces more sustainable results as all key stakeholders are involved during the different steps of the process and can then continue to implement the project’s activities while including best practices.
Our Key Policies
Code of Conduct
Since our inception in 1980, World Accord has embraced a culture of honesty and integrity with our employees, board, donors, partners, and those we serve. Our high levels of ethical behavior, accountability, respect, and core values have been instrumental in building the excellent reputation that we enjoy today for cultivating communities that thrive.
World Accord’s commitment to excellence, honesty, and integrity are known to our donors, government officials, and stakeholders. Our staff help creates this reputation. As a registered charity, our reputation is everything – without it, there is no trust, no respect, and no support from others. To sustain this excellent record, it is the duty of each of us to make informed, ethical decisions that build trust and reinforce our reputation as an accountable organization. See the complete document here.
Policy on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, and Abuse
WA strongly confirms that it does not tolerate any form of harassment, exploitation, or sexual abuse within the organization or any of the projects or programs it carries out.
WA is determined to provide harmonious work environments where collaboration, individual respect, and the principles of gender equality take pride of place, where the staff, volunteers, partners, sub-contractors, and consultants neither suffer nor commit abuse or misconduct. See the complete document here.
World Accord Ethics Guidelines
The Ethics Guidelines set out the basic ethical principles that World Accord accepts and promotes. For World Accord, development is a social, cultural, economic, and political process that leads to the fulfillment of fundamental human rights. See the complete document here.
World Accord Gender Policy (Excerpt from WA Carver Policy Manual)
WA will strive to achieve the full participation of both women and men as agents and equal partners in determining and directing their own development. See the complete document here.
World Accord Environmental Policy (Excerpt from WA Carver Policy Manual)
World Accord will incorporate environmentally sustainable considerations into all projects and promote an awareness of the relationships between development, the environment, and the health of the community. World Accord’s environmental policy encourages the sustainable use of a community’s resources through awareness of and regards for ecosystems and biodiversity. Striving to incorporate such factors into WA projects can result in a balanced position on development that advances the well-being of our partners, maintains the dynamic balance of their environment, and provides a framework for developmental education efforts. See the complete document here.