Council rules and accountability
Council rules come before council seats. The Global Risks Forum (GRF) designs each council with a stated purpose, a selection procedure, conduct expectations and limits on what a seat confers, to be published before applications open. This page sets out the rules as designed and the conduct expected of each role. It also states their status plainly: no council rules have yet been formally adopted. When they are, the adoption record is published here, with the date, the adopting body and the text in force.
- 01In briefThe short answer
- 02Core rulesFour rules every council is designed to follow
- 03Conduct codeElements of a council code of conduct
- 04AdoptionHow rules become binding
- 05Role-specific conductWhat each role is expected to do
- 06Adoption recordHow the rules become binding
- 07AccountabilityWhere to raise a concern
GRF · Institution · service level R0
The short answer.
Council rules and accountability at GRF set, for each council, a stated purpose, a selection procedure, conduct expectations and limits on what a seat confers, to be published before applications open. The page states the rules as designed and their status plainly: no council rules have yet been formally adopted.
Report to outcome.
Fig.How a reported error is reviewed and corrected. Design, not a record.
Jurisdictions in West Africa.
The jurisdictions that hold authority over this question: countries, their first-level divisions and capitals, shown for West Africa as an example geography for this subject.
Four rules every council is designed to follow.
- 01
Selection before payment
Leaders are selected first; any contribution follows written terms. No payment secures selection, a seat or a renewal.
- 02
Fit-and-proper and conflict review
Before invitation, each candidate is to be reviewed for conflicts and suitability. A person with a declared conflict does not decide or sign the matter it concerns.
- 03
Records of council work
Agendas, approved minutes and commitments are to be published as participants agree, with dissent recorded; see council work and transparency.
- 04
No bought standing
A seat never buys office, employment, a board seat or restricted data.
Elements of a council code of conduct.
- Duty to declare interests and to step aside when conflicted.
- Respect for attribution rules and confidentiality of drafts.
- No use of the council for commercial solicitation.
- Courtesy and non-discrimination in sessions.
- Consequences for breach, with a fair process.
How rules become binding.
Rules are adopted by the responsible GRF organ, dated and published before any nomination opens. Amendments follow the same route, with a notice on news.
What each role is expected to do.
| Role | Conduct expected |
|---|---|
| Council members (institutions) | Act through authorised representatives, declare interests, follow through on recorded commitments and respect restricted sessions |
| Leadership Council members | Serve in a personal capacity, describe the seat accurately, declare interests and recuse where conflicted |
| Working-group contributors | Work within the assignment and competence, cite sources and limits, and accept supervision |
| Chairs and conveners | Run fair inclusion procedures, record dissent and never report silence as agreement |
| Evaluators and reviewers | Declare conflicts and never sign an acceptance they are conflicted on |
| Hosts and supporters | Respect the separation of support from agenda, participants and findings |
How the rules become binding.
Not yet adopted
The rules on this page are the design. Global and regional councils are in formation, and no council rules have yet been formally adopted.
Published record
When rules are adopted, this page will show the adopting body, the date, the text in force and the councils it applies to.
Versioned changes
Later changes are adopted the same way and published as new versions, with earlier versions kept.
Councils are programme bodies, not the statutory organs of the association. GRF is governed by its statutory organs under its articles of association.
Where to raise a concern.
A concern about council conduct or a council decision goes to integrity@globalriskforum.com and is designed to be reviewed by someone not responsible for the contested decision; see corrections and concerns. Safeguarding concerns use the restricted route on participant safeguarding. The council model is on council architecture, and the overview of GRF's rules on Governance and trust.
Terms used on this page.
Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Council | In the Forum's architecture, a body of leaders convened under written rules to deliberate on governance questions; membership confers no authority over findings and no power to decide for any institution. |
| Code of conduct | A written set of standards for how members, staff or participants behave, with a route for complaints and a stated process for handling them. |
| Recusal | Withdrawing from a decision or task because of a conflict of interest. |
Where this page's references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
Questions and answers.
Are these rules in force?
Who adopts council rules?
What happens if a member breaks the rules?
Around GRF.
Start with an enquiry.
The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.