Anti-Fraud, Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bribery Policy

This policy protects the resources, name and trust of the Afghanistan Youth Parliament (AYP). It expands Sections 4 and 5 of the Code of Conduct and User Terms and Article XVI of the Charter. It applies to all office-holders, representatives, volunteers, tutors, partners, suppliers and anyone acting on behalf of AYP.

• Fraud: any act or omission that deceives, or attempts to deceive, in order to obtain a benefit or cause a loss, including false documents, false claims of expenses and collecting money under a false pretext.
• Corruption: the abuse of entrusted power or position for private gain, financial or non-financial.
• Bribery: offering, promising, giving, requesting or accepting anything of value to influence a decision or the performance of a duty. Small “facilitation payments” to speed up a routine action are bribes.
• Misuse of resources: using AYP’s name, logo, accounts, data, funds or materials for a purpose not authorised by AYP.

AYP has zero tolerance for fraud, corruption and bribery in any form and of any amount. No target, deadline or relationship justifies them. This applies equally to acts committed directly and through another person.

Donations to AYP are accepted only through channels announced on aypfrs.net, on the Financial Transparency Statement. AYP has received no funding to date and has no donation channel open as of the date of this policy. Any other request for money in AYP’s name, by message, social media, phone or in person, is not authorised and should be reported.

No office-holder, representative, ambassador, volunteer or other person may collect cash, mobile money, transfers to a personal account, digital currency, or goods in AYP’s name. All AYP courses and activities are free of charge (Code of Conduct, Section 5).

• Any future commitment or payment from AYP funds requires the written approval of two authorised persons, one of whom did not request it.
• No one approves their own expense, reimbursement or a payment to a related party (see the Conflict of Interest Policy).
• Until a second authorised person is in office and named on aypfrs.net, AYP will not accept or spend donor funds.
• Purchases above a modest value are based on at least two comparable quotes, kept on file.

Every receipt, in-kind contribution and expense is recorded with its date, amount, purpose, approvers and supporting documents. Records are kept for at least seven years, or longer where a funding agreement requires it, and are available to the Independent Audit and Resource Review Panel (Charter, Article XIV, Section 3) and to donors under the terms of their agreements. Personal data in financial records is limited to what is necessary, in line with the Privacy and Cookies Policy.

Before entering any partnership or supplier relationship involving funds, AYP checks the identity and reputation of the other party, checks that it does not appear on the United Nations Security Council Consolidated Sanctions List, and records any conflict of interest. Agreements include anti-fraud and anti-corruption clauses.

Anyone who suspects fraud, corruption or bribery connected to AYP should report it at once to [email protected]. Reports may be anonymous. Office-holders and volunteers must report suspicions they become aware of. Do not investigate on your own or alert the person concerned. Reporters are protected under the Whistleblowing and Complaints Policy.

Reports are assessed and investigated by the Independent Ethics and Conduct Board (Charter, Article XIV, Section 2); until it is constituted, the Global Speaker exercises its functions. Evidence is preserved, the person concerned is heard, and the process follows the timelines of the Whistleblowing and Complaints Policy. Where needed, an independent specialist may be engaged.

Confirmed fraud, corruption or bribery leads to measures under Section 6.3 of the Code of Conduct, up to permanent exclusion, and to the end of any partner or supplier relationship. AYP seeks to recover any loss and may refer the matter to the competent authorities under the laws applicable to the person concerned.

Where a suspicion involves donor funds or a donor-supported activity, AYP informs the donor promptly, and in any case within the period set in the funding agreement, cooperates fully with any review the donor carries out, and repays any funds found to have been misused.