Our Commitment to Integrity and Ethics

We envision a world where movements for gender justice have transformed power and privilege for a few into equity and equality for all. We, along with our partners, engage in complex and vital work, which can expose people to a range of harms and abuses. These abuses are manifestations of power inequalities, deeply rooted in inequitable gender dynamics and further compounded across multiple identity dimensions.

To ensure our power remains in check, we commit to work ethically and collaboratively, listen to one another and our stakeholders, and hold ourselves accountable not only for what we do but also for how we do it. Global Fund for Women observes the highest standards of ethics in the conduct of our work, practices honesty and integrity in fulfilling our responsibilities, and complies with all applicable laws and regulations. We are bound to our Code of Conduct and encouraged to speak up when something is not right.  

Key Policies:


Speak Up!

We approach every concern with the utmost seriousness and confidentiality, valuing the courage it takes to speak up. If you suspect any wrongdoing by Global Fund for Women, its leadership, or others on its behalf, report it.

Report safeguarding concerns, financial irregularities, and other misconduct including violations of law or policy related to Global Fund for Women’s operations. 

Speak up here . Or send an email to [email protected]. All reports are confidential. Anonymous reporting is available.

For details, please consult our Frequently Asked Questions below.

Should you have further questions, please email [email protected].


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): Speak Up!


About our Speak Up Line

What is the EthicsPoint?

The Speak Up Line is a comprehensive and confidential third-party managed reporting service that permits safe and anonymous reporting to Global Fund for Women. It is managed by a third-party vendor, NAVEX Global, who is contracted by Global Fund for Women to support a comprehensive and confidential reporting mechanism for our employees, partners, and the people they work with, in line with our policies. People can use EthicsPoint as an external mechanism to report any concern related to our operations.

Why do we need a system like EthicsPoint?

As a feminist fund dedicated to gender justice, Global Fund for Women does not tolerate abuses of power. We are committed to conducting our work with honesty, transparency, and integrity, and we expect all staff and partners to maintain and uphold our values and the high standards set out in our policies.

Raising a concern can be daunting. The Speak Up Line is designed to maintain anonymity and help our staff, partners, and the people they work feel more able to report any concerns.

This system will help Global Fund for Women ensure all people who work for us and with us have an equal right to protection. Global Fund for Women will ensure concerns are taken seriously, will never attempt to conceal evidence of poor or unacceptable behaviour or practice, take appropriate disciplinary action when needed, ensure confidentiality to the extent possible, and strictly prohibit any form of retaliation.


Reporting – General

What types of situations should I report?
The EthicsPoint system allows Global Fund for Women employees, partners, and the people they work with to report any concerns or violations of policies, law, regulations, or ethical lapses. You will be asked to identify your report by one of fifteen issue types prepopulated in EthicsPoint. There is also an “other” issue type.


If I see a violation, shouldn’t I just report it to
my manager, security, or human resources and let them deal with it?

When you observe or experience behavior that you believe violates Global Fund for Women’s policies, we expect you to report it.  We recognize, however, there may be circumstances where you are not able to, or comfortable with, reporting the issue directly to your manager, the Senior Director of Integrity and Compliance, or leadership team. This is why we have a Speak Up line.


Why should I report what I know? What’s in it for me?
We all have the right to equal protection and many of us share a strong commitment to gender justice. With this comes a collective responsibility to report and challenge abuses of power. By doing this, we are also helping to transform power and privilege for a few into equity and equality for all.

Where do these reports go? Who can access them?

Reports are entered directly on the EthicsPoint secure server. NAVEX Global makes these reports available only to the designated staff at Global Fund for Women, who are charged with evaluating the report and leading any investigation. Each of these report recipients has had training in keeping these reports in the utmost confidence. If a concern or allegation involves one of the designated staff, EthicsPoint has a built-in workflow that will direct the report confidentiality to another designated staff. Designated staff are training on these workflows and know what to do when such a report comes in.


Reporting – Security & Confidentiality

Even if I submit the report confidentially, is it possible that the computer I am using could be used to identify me as the person submitting?

NAVEX Global, the company that runs our Speak Up line, does not generate or maintain any internal connection logs with IP addresses, so no information linking your computer to EthicsPoint is available.

If you feel uncomfortable making a report on your work computer, you have the option of using a PC outside your work environment (such as one located at an Internet café or at a friend’s house).

Can I file a report from home and still remain anonymous?

A report from home, a neighbor’s computer, or any Internet portal will remain secure and anonymous.  The Internet portal never identifies a visitor by screen name and EthicsPoint strips away Internet addresses so that anonymity can be maintained.

I am concerned that the information I provide EthicsPoint will ultimately reveal my identity. How can you assure me that will not happen?

The Speak Up line protects your anonymity. However, if you wish to remain anonymous, you – as a reporting party – need to ensure that the body of the report does not reveal your identity by accident. For example, “From my desk next to Jan Smith…” or “In my 33 years…”. 

What if I want to be identified with my report?

There is a section in the report to identify yourself, if you wish.


Tips and Good Practices

I am not sure if what I have observed or heard is a violation of company policy, or involves unethical conduct, but it just does not look right to me. What should I do?

File a report. The Speak Up line will guide you through preparing a report to file. We’d rather you report a situation that turns out to be harmless than let possible unethical or harmful behavior go unchecked.

What if my boss or other managers are involved in a violation? Won’t they get the report and start a cover-up?

The Speak Up line and subsequent report workflow ensures that implicated parties do not receive or have access to the original reports in which they have been named.

The EthicsPoint system will only share reports with designated staff at Global Fund for Women. These staff may use the information provided in any report to support their internal review and any investigation they may undertake.

Global Fund for Women will inform each person/organization implicated in a report of the allegations made against them in good time. In doing so, they will not reveal your identity or share the original report made on EthicsPoint.

What if I remember something important about the incident after I file the report? Or what if the company has further questions for me concerning my report?

When you file a report, you receive a unique, randomized number called a “Report Key”. You will be asked to create a password which you can use to access your original report. You can then add further detail to the report or answer questions posed by designated staff, as needed.  We strongly suggest that you return to the site in the time specified (no longer than six working days) to answer questions that may arise. At this stage, you and the designated staff have now entered into an “anonymous dialogue”. This dialogue is essential as they investigate your report.

Are these follow-ups on reports as secure as the first one?

All correspondence within EthicsPoint is held in the same strict confidence as the initial report, continuing under the umbrella of anonymity. As with the original report, it is important you do not reveal your identity by accident when answering questions/providing additional information.

What if I lose my Report Key or forget the Password I created?

To ensure that security and confidentiality is maintained, if you lose your report key or password, you will need to file a new report. Mention in the new report that it is related to a report or question you previously submitted.

Can I still file a report if I don’t have access to the Internet?

You can file an EthicsPoint report from any computer or cell phone that can access the Internet. You can file from home. Many public locations, including the public library, have computers with Internet access.