Whistleblowing and Complaints Policy

This policy sets out how the Afghanistan Youth Parliament (AYP) receives and handles complaints and reports of wrongdoing. It applies the reporting and due-process rules of Article XIV, Section 2 and Article XIX of the Charter and Sections 6 and 9 of the Code of Conduct and User Terms.

• Complaints: dissatisfaction with an AYP service, course, decision or the behaviour of someone acting for AYP.
• Whistleblowing reports: information about suspected wrongdoing, such as fraud, corruption, bribery, sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment, a hidden conflict of interest, misuse of data, threats to a person’s safety, or breaches of AYP’s neutrality.

Anyone: members, learners, parents and guardians, representatives, ambassadors, volunteers, tutors, partners, donors, suppliers and members of the public, whether or not they are registered with AYP.

• [email protected]: all complaints and reports of wrongdoing;
• [email protected]: when someone may be in immediate danger;
• [email protected]: concerns about personal data;
• [email protected]: declarations of interest and administrative questions;
• [email protected]: general questions.

Anonymous reports: you may write from an email address that does not reveal your identity. AYP will not try to identify an anonymous reporter. Please give enough detail (what, when, where, who) for the matter to be assessed, and keep the address active so that we can reply. Reports may be written in Farsi-e-Dari, Pashto or English.

If a report concerns the Global Speaker, you may say so in the subject line, and you may also inform any donor or partner that has a written agreement with AYP.

• The identity of a reporter is shared only with their consent, or where this is strictly necessary to protect someone from serious harm.
• No one may be dismissed, excluded, threatened, disadvantaged or exposed for raising a concern in good faith or for assisting an investigation, even if the concern is not confirmed.
• Retaliation is a serious breach of the Code of Conduct.
• Knowingly false or malicious reports are themselves a breach.

• Acknowledgement: within 7 days of receipt. Safeguarding concerns are acknowledged within 72 hours, as set out in the Safeguarding and PSEAH Policy, and emergencies are handled at once.
• Assessment: the matter is assessed to decide whether it can be resolved directly or needs an investigation, and whether anyone needs protection in the meantime.
• Investigation or resolution: conducted fairly and confidentially by the Independent Ethics and Conduct Board (Charter, Article XIV, Section 2), or by the Global Speaker until the Board is constituted. The person concerned is informed of the allegation and heard before any decision.
• Response: within 30 days of receipt, the reporter receives a written response stating the outcome or the action taken, within the limits of confidentiality. If more time is needed, the reporter is told why and given a new date.

A reporter or a person concerned who disagrees with the outcome may appeal within 30 days by writing to [email protected] with the subject “Appeal”. Under Article XIV, Section 2 of the Charter, decisions of the Board may be appealed to the Global Speaker, whose ruling is final. While the Global Speaker exercises the Board’s functions, the appeal is examined afresh and, where available, with an independent reviewer who took no part in the first decision. The appeal is answered within 30 days.

Anyone with a conflict of interest in a case steps aside under the Conflict of Interest Policy.

Disputes arising from the User Terms between the platform and external users follow the dispute-resolution clause of the Code of Conduct (Section 9): complaint first, internal review, then independent mediation if both parties agree. Nothing in this policy limits a right that a person has under the laws applicable to the person concerned.

Complaints and reports are recorded confidentially, in line with the Privacy and Cookies Policy. AYP reviews them regularly to improve its work and publishes an anonymised annual summary of their number, type and outcome.