CADUS - Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct, with it´s core values written below, is the foundation for every action taken by CADUS and all the people working in the name of CADUS.

You can read and download CADUS' complete Code of Conduct here:

CADUS - core values

Humanity

By humanity we understand that suffering - no matter what the circumstances, the place or the cause - must be fought. All our actions are legitimized by humanity alone and are accordingly unconditional. The goal of our work is to fight suffering, to protect life and to prevent future suffering!

Impartiality

The right to receive humanitarian support applies to everyone, no matter what a person has done before. As humanitarian workers we are neither judges nor executors. This means that we treat people according to their needs and not according to whether they are considered to belong to an "ethnic", religious or political group.

Independence

It would be utopian to claim that humanitarian work takes place completely free of financial constraints. For us, it is important to deal with these monetary constraints in a transparent and open manner. We clearly oppose any funding that is linked to the interests of any political or religious party. Furthermore, a basic requirement for any donor is that they must not under any circumstances influence or direct our work and the way it is carried out. Furthermore, donors that support us must not contradict the values and principles we represent.

Neutrality

In our missions we do not take sides of any political, religious or `ethnic´ conflicts. We focus on supporting all people affected by crisis no matter if they align with our own believes and values or not. At the same time, we reserve the right to report on structures and policies that clearly violate the principles and values that we stand for and that our work is based on. Namely, political actions resulting in suffering, violation of international humanitarian law, violations of human rights and overall crimes against humanity. We furthermore report on and speak out against societal problems like racism, sexism etc. that result in structures of discrimination against groups of people. Bearing witness, advocating our core values and using our leverage as a humanitarian actor are fundamental efforts of our work.

Accountability

Good intention is not enough, and we want to be hold accountable for our actions. People affected by crisis are ultimately our reason d´etre and should be the ones in front of whom we have to legitimize our work. The constant reflection of our work, our role and the results of our actions is essential. Only by doing this we can contradict reproducing structures perpetuating inequality and avoid producing additional harm to people already affected by crisis. As an accountable organization, we believe we must be willing to review, analyze, and critique our operations constantly, at all levels.