Mindful of the considerable and increasing influence and importance of public relations, ICCO members commit at all times to abide by the following 10 principles:

To work ethically and in accordance with applicable laws;
To observe the highest professional standards in the practice of public relations and communications;
To respect the truth, dealing honestly and transparently with employees, colleagues, clients, the media, government and the public;
To protect the privacy rights of clients, organisations, and individuals by safeguarding confidential information;
To be mindful of their duty to uphold the reputation of the industry;
To be forthcoming about sponsors of causes and interests and never engage in misleading practices such as “astroturfing”;
To be aware of the power of social media, and use it responsibly;
To never engage in the creation of or knowingly circulate fake news;
To adhere to their Association’s Code of Conduct, be mindful of the Codes of Conduct of other countries, and show professional respect at all times;
To take care that their professional duties are conducted without causing offence on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, origin, religion, disability or any other form of discrimination.

For more on ICCO’s ethics work and #POWERofETHICS campaign activities please check here

In September 2019, Christina Forsgård was announced as ICCO Ethics Chair to champion these principles and work with other organisations to in pursuit of solution to misinformation spread.

We invite ICCO members and organisations, non-members, and other professional public relations communities to join in support of these principles.

The following organisations pledge their support: