(Swiss law; Zug-registered Verein; principal base Geneva. This Article governs GRF’s institutional neutrality and controls against donor, vendor, political, or inter-organizational capture. It prevails internally over any conflicting external instrument unless expressly excepted by Trustees’ resolution and CB Clearance.)
3.1 Independence Statement
(a) Institutional independence. The Global Risks Forum (“GRF”) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit Swiss association (Verein). GRF is not a subsidiary, agent, instrumentality, special project, or affiliate of any state, intergovernmental organization, multilateral development bank, philanthropic foundation, corporation, academic institution, or private person.
(b) Governance autonomy. GRF’s organs—Board of Trustees (Vorstand), Central Bureau (CB), Executive Management (EM), Leadership Council (LC), and other bodies established herein—act solely under these Statuten/Bylaws. No external party may direct, veto, pre-clear, or condition GRF’s governance or operations absent a duly adopted instrument approved by the Trustees and Cleared by the CB (Article 12).
(c) Editorial & scientific independence. GRF retains sole editorial control over all publications, standards, data/model releases, event agendas, and educational content. External reviews (peer, legal, privacy, security) are advisory only unless an approval right is explicitly granted by Trustees’ resolution and CB Clearance.
(d) Funding neutrality. Financial or in-kind support confers no governance rights and no preferential technical outcome. Acceptance of restricted or conditioned funds requires: (i) prior Trustees’ approval, (ii) CB Clearance, and (iii) public disclosure in the Council Gazette and Donor Register (Articles 13–14; Annex J). Donors may not appoint authors, speakers, or reviewers, nor control publication timing beyond reasonable coordination.
(e) Non-exclusivity. GRF avoids exclusivity clauses that foreclose participation by countries, agencies, researchers, or vendors where such clauses would compromise neutrality or scale. Interfaces shall be standards-based and interoperable to deter lock-in.
(f) No privileges or immunities claimed. GRF does not claim intergovernmental privileges or immunities. Host-venue frameworks (if any) must not derogate from this Article or applicable public law.
(g) Inter-nexus cooperation under ECT. Cooperation with GCRI, GRA, NSF, and NE Labs occurs pursuant to the Earth Cooperation Treaty (ECT) and is procedurally channeled through the CB. The ECT does not confer control over GRF governance. All ECT instruments are recorded in the Council Register and, where material, require CB Clearance prior to effect (Article 11).
(h) Public assurance & watermarking. Independence notices (Annex C) and independence watermarks shall appear on websites, event materials, reports, term sheets, and data/model cards. Deviations require Trustees’ resolution and a CB Council Notice.
(i) Independence Impact Assessment (IIA). Prior to entering into any engagement that is (i) high-value (≥ CHF 250,000), (ii) content-shaping, or (iii) politically sensitive, EM shall complete an IIA (template in Annex J/N), and submit it with the CB Clearance packet (Article 12).
3.2 Event Sequencing & No Co-Branding
(a) Co-location without affiliation. GRF may co-locate or sequence its meetings near third-party gatherings for logistics. Such proximity does not imply partnership, endorsement, joint venture, sponsorship, or affiliation.
(b) Brand Separation Protocol (BSP) — mandatory controls. For any GRF convening co-located with third-party events, the following controls apply:
- Distinct registration & accreditation (separate systems, badges, privacy notices; separate accreditation lists retained by CB).
- Distinct programs & agendas (no shared letterheads; clear GRF branding; third-party logos omitted unless licensed under 3.2(e)).
- Distinct signage, stages & media backdrops (physical and digital separation; independence notice displayed).
- Separate financials (stand-alone budgets, sponsor agreements, invoices, bank mandates, and audits).
- Security & safeguarding governed by GRF protocol for GRF-controlled spaces; incident logs filed with CB within 72 hours.
- Digital presence (unique event URLs, ticketing, and livestream channels; no embedded third-party pixels without CB-approved DPIA).
(c) Use of names and marks. Use of any third-party name, logo, mark, or seal on GRF materials (and vice versa) is prohibited absent: (i) a written license or MoU, (ii) Trustees’ approval, and (iii) CB Clearance. Courtesy acknowledgments must include the independence notice and may not imply endorsement.
(d) Speakers and officials. Participation by public officials, multilaterals, corporations, NGOs, or academics does not create affiliation. Programs and media must state: “Participation does not imply institutional endorsement.”
(e) Joint sessions (narrow exception). A jointly branded session is permitted only if: (i) a written instrument (MoU/ECT schedule) defines branding, content control, IP/data/provenance, costs, and dispute resolution; (ii) the instrument is approved by Trustees and Cleared by CB; and (iii) the session carries a conspicuous independence notice. Otherwise, the session proceeds as GRF-only.
(f) Media & communications. Joint press releases or cross-posting require CB review for accuracy and independence. GRF may issue solo releases at its discretion, including corrective statements where independence is misstated.
(g) Venue & services contracts. Contracts for venues, AV, interpretation, security, or catering must be in GRF’s name and contain clauses preserving branding control, data protection, and BSP compliance. Subcontracting by counterparties that could blur brand separation is prohibited.
(h) Monitoring & takedown. BSP compliance is monitored by CB Protocol/Security. Violations trigger takedown/clarification demands; persistent non-compliance may result in session cancellation, removal of materials, or counterpart restrictions. Material violations are entered in the Council Register and noted to Trustees.
3.3 Conflict of Interest Posture
(a) Scope & definitions. This posture applies to individual (Trustees, CB/EM officers, Chairs, staff, contractors) and organizational conflicts (funders, vendors, hosts). A conflict of interest exists where personal, financial, ideological, or institutional interests could improperly influence—or appear to influence—GRF decisions or outputs.
(b) Categories of conflict.
- Financial: equity, debt, compensation, royalties, contingent fees, options with counterparties/competitors.
- Relational: family or close personal relationships; fiduciary roles in counterparties/competitors.
- Professional/academic: leadership posts, consultancies, or sponsored research affecting GRF outputs.
- Advocacy/ideology: affiliations that might compromise neutrality of programs or publications.
- Organizational: donor/vendor terms that bias outcomes (content control, exclusivity, purchasing commitments).
(c) Declarations, training & timing. Covered persons must file annual declarations, complete annual conflicts training, and submit event-based updates within 10 days of material changes. The CB maintains a Conflicts Register (public summary; protected details confidential per law).
(d) Recusal & information barriers. Conflicted persons do not receive papers, participate, or vote on the matter. The CB imposes paper walls (access controls, distribution lists, data-room restrictions) and records the wall in the Register.
(e) Related-party transactions (RPTs). Any RPT ≥ CHF 50,000 in a rolling 12-month period—or any non-arm’s-length term—requires: (i) independent written assessment of fairness; (ii) Trustees’ approval with conflicted parties recused; (iii) CB Clearance; and (iv) public summary disclosure in the Council Gazette. All RPTs, regardless of size, are logged by the CB.
(f) Gifts, hospitality & honoraria. Gifts/hospitality over CHF 200 per incident (or CHF 500 per source per year) are prohibited unless pre-cleared by CB for legitimate business purposes and recorded. Travel support must be reasonable, transparent, and disclosed.
(g) Funding neutrality & donor walls. Donor agreements must preserve editorial/technical independence, avoid exclusivity that forecloses participation, and prohibit donor preview rights beyond factual accuracy checks. Donor-funded secondments require CB-approved terms and a duty-to-GRF clause.
(h) Revolving door & secondments.
- Cooling-off: Former Trustees/CB/EM officers may not accept compensated engagements with counterparties on matters they supervised for 12 months, unless CB grants a documented exception with safeguards.
- Secondments: External secondees sign confidentiality and conflicts undertakings; home employers have no claim over GRF decisions or IP beyond agreed licenses.
(i) Human rights & integrity screens. GRF does not enter into arrangements with counterparties credibly implicated in gross human-rights abuses, corruption, or international sanctions. The CB conducts beneficial-ownership checks, PEP screening, and sanctions/KYC/AML reviews proportional to risk (SECO/EU/OFAC).
(j) Export controls & dual-use. Where engagements involve controlled tech/data, the CB verifies export-control compliance; conflicts posture extends to dual-use risks and misuse potential.
(k) Research integrity safeguards. All sponsored research follows publication independence, data-access, and reproducibility norms (model/data cards; provenance; uncertainty disclosure). Ghost-writing and undisclosed editorial control are prohibited.
(l) Whistleblowing & protection. Anonymous/confidential channels are available. No retaliation is tolerated against good-faith reporters (Article 16.4). The CB investigates and reports outcomes to Trustees/Audit & Risk Committee.
(m) Enforcement & remedies. Violations may result in reprimand, removal from office, termination of contracts, rescission or re-papering of transactions, or referral to authorities. Material breaches are entered in the Council Register; corrective statements may be published in the Council Gazette.
(n) Cross-references. Detailed procedures, thresholds, and forms are set out in Annex N (Conflicts & RPT Policy), Annex J (Donor Register/IIA templates), Annex M (Sanctions/KYC/AML), and Standing Orders. Where this Article conflicts with any external instrument, it governs internally; externally, GRF seeks alignment or declines participation.
Implementation Note (non-normative): The CB designates a Conflicts & Independence Officer to administer this Article; publishes quarterly Independence & Conflicts Reports; and maintains an Exceptions Register (if any), listing time-bounded, Board-approved deviations with safeguards and sunset dates.