Rules of ethical conduct of employees
Rules of Ethical Conduct of Employees
Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan
These Rules of Ethical Conduct of Employees (hereinafter referred to as the Rules of Ethics) of the Ministry of Ecology, environmental protection and climate change of the Republic of Uzbekistan (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) have been developed on the basis of the current Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Civil Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On additional measures to ensure compliance with ethical rules by state civil servants" RCM-595 dated 14.10.2022 and other current regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan and represent a set of general principles and basic rules of ethical conduct of employees of the Ministry as a state customer, regardless of the position held.
The Rules of Ethics are aimed at preventing offenses, eliminating the causes and conditions that contribute to their commission, educating the employees of the Ministry in the spirit of high legal consciousness, strict compliance with the current Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan and laws and other regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Persons applying for a job at the Ministry are familiarized with the provisions of the Rules of Ethics by signing.
I. General Provisions
1. The following terms and definitions are used in these Ethical Rules:
– image of the Ministry – presentation to clients, partners and the public of the prestige of the Ministry, quality of services rendered, fame, business reputation, reliability, information openness, business activity;
– disciplinary measures – penalties (sanctions) of non-property and property nature, types, procedure and conditions, the imposition of which are established in accordance with the current legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the current regulations of the Ministry;
– damaging the image of the Ministry – dissemination of false, inaccurate and defamatory information about the activities of the Ministry and its employees in oral or written form, including by dissemination on social networks, leading to deterioration of public opinion and other negative consequences;
– principles of ethical behavior – a set of norms mandatory for the employees of the Ministry that regulate their personal and professional behavior and are aimed at protecting them from unfair behavior;
– anti-corruption behavior standards – rules containing a list of actions and measures aimed at preventing and overcoming corruption-hazardous situations and their consequences;
– employee – an employee of the Ministry with whom an employment contract or civil law contract has been concluded.
2. Employees are obliged to comply with the requirements of current legislation and the Rules of Ethics in their professional activities and in relations between themselves and other persons. Compliance with the provisions of the Rules of Ethics is one of the criteria for assessing the quality of professional activities and official ethical behavior of employees.
3. The main goals and objectives of these Rules of Ethics are:
– ensuring uniform and correct application of the principles of ethical behavior by employees;
– prevention of violations of the principles of ethical behavior, damage to property and business reputation;
– development of professional and ethical standards of anti-corruption behavior.
4. The departments, divisions and officials of the Ministry develop and implement measures aimed at preventing violations of the principles of ethical behavior, as well as identifying and eliminating the causes and conditions that contribute to the commission of such violations.
II. Basic principles of ethical behavior
Chapter one. Basic principles of ethical behavior
5. Standards of ethical behavior are based on the basic principles arising from business customs and best business practices.
6. Employees must carry out their professional activities based on the following principles:
– strict compliance with the current legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan in business practice and standards of anti-corruption behavior;
– priority of rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of citizens;
– devotion to the interests of the state, society and the Ministry;
– openness, integrity, fairness, transparency and publicity of the standards of ethical behavior;
– honesty, integrity and trust in relationships;
– prevention of conflicts of interest;
– professionalism of the Ministry's employees;
– information openness;
– tolerance, tolerance and a high culture of behavior and relationships.
Chapter Two. Strict compliance with current legislation in business practice and standards of anti-corruption behavior
7. In the performance of official duties, employees are obliged to strictly and steadfastly comply with the current legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan. No references to emergency situations, political, economic expediency, as well as personal motives and other subjective reasons may serve as grounds for violating the established current.
If an employee becomes aware that another employee, by his actions, unintentionally violates or may violate the current legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan or regulatory documents of the Ministry, then such employee is obliged to inform the violator of his actions, the violation of current legislation and the consequences of such a violation.
If an employee becomes aware of another employee's intention to violate the current legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan or the regulatory documents of the Ministry, such employee must take all measures to prevent the violation of the current legislation, including by notifying employees who monitor compliance with the legislation, and also notify their manager of all cases of any person contacting them with the aim of persuading them to commit offenses.
The heads of the Ministry must ensure that it is inadmissible to dismiss or prosecute persons in any other form in connection with their appeal about the facts of violation of the current legislation or for the opinion expressed and the criticism contained, as well as for speaking out with criticism in any other form.
8. Corruption-dangerous behavior in relation to these Ethical Rules is considered to be such an action or inaction of an employee that, in a situation of conflict of interest, creates the prerequisites and conditions for him to obtain selfish benefits and advantages, both for himself and for other persons, organizations, institutions whose interests are directly or indirectly defended by the employee who illegally uses his official position.
In the performance of their official duties, employees are obliged not to show or give preference to any persons, groups or organizations, to be independent of their influence, to take into account the rights, obligations and legitimate interests of citizens and not to allow discrimination.
Employees must exclude actions related to the influence of any personal, property and other interests that prevent them from conscientiously performing their official duties and exclude the possibility of any influence on their professional activities.
An employee, regardless of the official position he occupies, should take anti-corruption protection measures consisting of preventing and decisively overcoming corruption-dangerous situations and their consequences.
Moral duty requires an employee to immediately report to his immediate superior or the management of the Ministry about all cases of any person contacting him in order to incline him to commit corruption offenses.
The need to develop anti-corruption behavior skills in an employee requires that he consciously impose moral obligations, restrictions and prohibitions on himself.
Moral integrity, incorruptibility of the employee, his dedication to the interests of the Ministry, loyalty to official duty form the basis of the professional and ethical standard of anti-corruption behavior.
Chapter Three. Conflicts of Interest and Measures to Prevent Them
9. Employees, when performing their official duties, must not allow personal interest that leads or may lead to a conflict of interest.
A conflict of interest arises in a situation where employees have a personal interest that affects or may affect the objective and impartial performance of their official duties.
The professional and ethical content of a conflict of interest consists of a contradiction between official duty and personal selfish interest that may cause moral harm to the title of an employee of the Ministry.
A personal selfish interest of an employee is recognized as the possibility of obtaining any form of benefit or advantage for him or other persons with whom he is connected by official or informal relations.
Receiving or presenting gifts, rewards, prizes to employees, as well as rendering various honors, services (hereinafter referred to as gifts), except for cases stipulated by law, may create situations of ethical uncertainty and contribute to the emergence of a conflict of interest.
By accepting or giving a gift, the employee falls into a real or imaginary dependence on the donor (recipient), which is contrary to the norms of the professional and ethical standard of anti-corruption behavior.
Generally accepted hospitality based on kinship, regionality, friendly relations and gifts received (given) in connection with this should not create a conflict of interest.
10. In order to prevent a conflict of interest, the norms of professional ethics require the employee to:
– refuse a possible improper benefit that was the cause of the conflict of interest;
– immediately inform the immediate supervisor of the conflict of interest that has arisen or of the threat of its occurrence;
– stop questionable, compromising interpersonal relationships;
– counteract corruption and expose corrupt officials at any level;
– take measures to overcome the negative consequences of a conflict of interest.
A manager who has received information about the existence of a conflict of interest is obliged to take timely measures to resolve it.
Employees are required to notify their manager of their participation in the authorized capital of commercial organizations in order to take measures to prevent a conflict of interest.
11. An employee’s failure to provide information on income, property, and property-related obligations, as well as his dishonesty in doing so, are essential conditions for the occurrence of a conflict of interest.
12. When being appointed to a position and performing official duties, an employee is required to declare the presence or possibility of his personal interest, which affects or may affect the proper performance of his official duties.
Chapter Four. Competition and Antimonopoly Legislation
13. The Ministry undertakes to comply with the requirements of the current legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the protection of competition. The Ministry refuses any unfair actions aimed at obtaining advantages, restricting competition, worsening the economic activity of other business entities or creating obstacles to the entry of new business entities into the market.
14. The Ministry does not accept methods of doing business through unfair competition, including:
– making incorrect comparisons that belittle the quality of goods and services of other business entities that can cause them financial losses or damage their business reputation;
– misleading about the goods and services provided, the cost and conditions of their provision;
– illegal use of the results of intellectual activity, etc.
15. The Ministry complies with the requirements for competitive procedures established by the current legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, does not conclude contracts bypassing tenders, which are mandatory, holds tenders and auctions on the principles of rivalry, transparency and objectivity.
16. Violation of antitrust legislation may result in fines, as well as administrative and criminal liability.
Chapter Five. Combating Corruption and Improper Payments
17. The Ministry is guided by the current norms of the anti-corruption legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan applicable to its activities in order to prevent possible corruption risks.
18. The applicable anti-corruption legislation means the current Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan and other regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
19. According to the norms of the anti-corruption legislation applicable to the Ministry, employees are prohibited from directly or through an intermediary making, offering, promising or approving payments in the form of cash or any valuables, as well as providing any financial or other benefit, as well as an advantage to any third parties in connection with the official position they hold, influencing their actions (ensuring inaction) or encouraging or rewarding the performance of official duties imposed on them or other duties provided for by law in an improper manner.
20. Employees are prohibited from demanding, agreeing to receive or receiving any payments in the form of cash or anything of value, as well as any financial or other benefit or advantage, if the receipt of such payments, benefits or advantages in itself constitutes improper performance or non-performance of official or other duties provided for by law or is a reward for improper performance of official or other duties provided for by law.
21. The Ministry shall develop and take measures to prevent corruption, including:
– defining departments or officials responsible for preventing corruption and other offenses;
– cooperating with law enforcement agencies;
– developing and implementing standards and procedures aimed at ensuring honest work;
– familiarizing employees with the content of these Ethical Rules;
– preventing and resolving conflicts of interest;
– preventing the preparation of unofficial reports and the use of forged documents.
22. Employees of the Ministry shall be prohibited from receiving improper payments, i.e. payments in any form (cash, commission fees, gift certificates, services, discounts, loans) for the provision of benefits, resolving issues, performing administrative procedures (including acceleration, simplification), unless such actions are provided for by the current legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Chapter Six. The procedure for checking and requirements for the professional training of employees of the Ministry
23. The Ministry is obliged to ensure a high professional level and competence of its employees and take measures to improve their qualifications and professional training, as well as to check the professional training of its employees.
24. Employees are obliged to conscientiously perform their job responsibilities, show loyalty to their organization, contribute to its development and improve its business reputation.
25. The Ministry is obliged to take all measures necessary for the normal performance of job responsibilities by its personnel, continuous professional training and advanced training of its employees, providing them with office equipment, educational and methodological, reference publications, regulatory and legal acts of legislation, documents of the Ministry and other necessary materials.
Chapter Seven. Information Transparency
26. One of the most important principles of the Ministry's activities is information transparency. Information transparency is limited exclusively by the framework of protecting the official secrets of the Ministry and the principles of ethical behavior.
27. Employees are required to take all measures to maintain the confidentiality of information that has become available to them due to the performance of official (professional) duties.
It is prohibited to make public or, without the written permission of the copyright holder, to transfer to third parties, for a fee or free of charge, any information constituting an official secret of the Ministry.
28. It is prohibited to disseminate false rumors and information, manipulate facts, disseminate speculation, gossip and slanderous fabrications that may insult an employee or damage the image and business reputation of the Ministry.
Chapter Eight. Responsibility for Violation of the Provisions of the Rules of Ethics
29. Violation of the provisions of the Rules of Ethics by an employee may be grounds for bringing the person to liability in the manner established by the current legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
30. Compliance with the provisions of the Rules of Ethics by an employee is taken into account when conducting certifications, forming a personnel reserve for promotion to higher and other positions.
31. Violations of the provisions of these Ethics Rules shall be considered by the Ethics Commission, specially created for these purposes.
32. The Ethics Commission shall be created from among employees in a number of not less than five people. The goals, objectives, functions, rights, responsibilities and other issues of organizing the activities of the Ethics Commission shall be determined by the Regulation on the Ethics Commission, approved by the order of the Minister.
33. After considering the fact of violation of the Ethics Rules, the Ethics Commission shall issue a conclusion on the presence (absence) of a disciplinary or other violation. At the same time, a proposal to hold the employee who committed the said violation liable shall be submitted to the Minister for consideration. Taking into account the nature of the violation committed, the Commission may limit itself to a warning to the employee about not allowing violation of the Ethics Rules.
34. Employees have the right to receive information about the violation they have committed, the course of its consideration and the presentation of evidence in their defense, as well as to appeal the decisions of the Ethics Commission in the manner prescribed by law.
Chapter Nine. Tolerance, tolerance and high culture of behavior and relationships
35. Employees are obliged to show tolerance to others, different from theirs, worldview, way of life, behavior and customs, gender, religion, nationality. They are aware of and appreciate the right of others to live in accordance with their own worldview and serve the values of many original cultures, accept, correctly understand and respect other cultures, ways of self-expression and manifestation of human individuality.
In their professional activities, in their behavior and their appearance, employees are also obliged to avoid any manifestations of disrespect and disregard for the established norms and traditions of society and the established culture.
36. In communication, employees are obliged to show mutual respect and tolerance. The use of foul language, threats and insults is strictly prohibited.
III. Unfair activity
37. Behavior that violates the principles of ethical behavior established by these Rules and other regulatory documents of the Ministry, aimed at ensuring conditions of good faith in the activities of employees, as well as protecting their legal rights, interests and business reputation, is recognized as unfair.
38. Unfair behavior of an employee that damages the image of the Ministry entails the application of disciplinary measures to the violator in accordance with the Internal Labor Regulations of the Ministry and the Labor Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
IV. Final Provisions
39. These Ethical Rules shall enter into force from the moment of their approval and publication on the official website of the Ministry.