The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) launched an updated version of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for federal government employees, which aims to foster the employee’s institutional culture, support professional values, and boost his sense of responsibility, which will reflect positively on his productivity and enhance the performance of the institution to which he belongs.
The provisions of the code apply to all civil servants in the UAE, and federal entities may issue detailed codes of professional conduct and ethics that are appropriate to the nature of their work.
FAHR prepared a code pledging commitment to the principles of professional conduct and public service ethics, which includes a set of guiding ethical principles that promote integrity and professionalism and serve the public interest, which are: integrity, justice and equality, compliance, disclosure and non-conflict of interest, confidentiality, optimal use of government resources, diversity and inclusion, and compliance with the ethics of using social media platforms.
The code lays out a set of obligations for ministries and federal entities, including: consolidating institutional values, creating a supportive work environment for the employee, spreading awareness of the culture and principles of professional behaviour and public service ethics, supervising the implementation of the code, informing all its employees of the content of the code, and ensuring their commitment to signing it electronically, in addition to providing safe channels for reporting behaviour that is inconsistent with the principles of professional conduct and public service ethics, and to conduct an investigation into reported cases, taking into account privacy and providing protection for the reporting employee.
According to the code of ethics and professional conduct for federal government employees, the employee must familiarize himself with the principles of professional conduct and public service ethics and adhere to them, and inform his direct supervisor or the Human Resources Department in the federal entity of any violations of the principles of professional conduct and public service ethics stipulated in the pledge code as soon as they occur, or his knowledge of the same, and to cooperate when questioned in accordance with the official procedures and channels followed in the federal government, and the relevant laws and legislation.
The launch of the updated version of the code of ethics and professional conduct for federal government employees was the result of effective cooperation and coordination between the FAHR and all ministries and federal entities. Actually, FAHR held a series of brainstorming sessions and workshops with representatives of federal agencies to know about their opinions and feedback on the previous code.