Helsinki Declaration - International Communications Consultants Organization

New Global Principles of Ethical Practice in Public Relations and Communication Management announced

August 22 2018. 

For the past six months, following a meeting in Madrid, a task force of leading public relations and communication management organizations has been exploring a new set of principles in ethical practice and exploring ways to promote ethical conduct.

“Today, we are happy to announce that the members of the Global Alliance and IABC have agreed on sixteen principles that should be covered in every code of ethics for our profession. We are also happy to announce that these principles have the support of ICCO, the PRCA UK and PRCA MENA,” said Jose Manuel Velasco, chair of the Global Alliance representing more than sixty organizations. “Our combined efforts will help elevate the profession and promote ethics from a position of strength,” Velasco added.

The principles are those that are deemed essential to practice. Project lead, and GA past chair Jean Valin states: “As communicators and public relations professionals, we have the potential to influence economies and individuals. This carries obligations and responsibilities to society and to organisations. Ethics must be at the core of our activity. In our world of fake news and concerns over privacy as artificial intelligence ramps up, we are at an ethical crossroads. There is no public relations/communication profession without ethics.” Read on here.