Trust runs both ways.Trust runs both ways.

The Alliance’s name travels further than any one of us — into classrooms, embassies, summits and newsrooms across the world. Every Associate is a part of how that name is understood, both in the work they do and the way they carry themselves while doing it.

Many of the people who make up this Alliance are still in school, university or the earliest years of their careers. Creating a safe, dignified space for them isn’t a footnote to our work — it’s a condition of it.

The Alliance holds a zero-tolerance position on harassment, bullying, discrimination and abuse of authority in any form, in line with India’s POSH Act, ILO Convention No. 190 and recognised UN safeguarding standards. Every Associate has:

Where a School Diplomacy Club, fellowship or programme involves participants under 18, additional safeguarding measures apply — and parents or guardians are always welcome to reach out to the Coordination Team with questions before their child takes part.

The Alliance draws its strength from the diversity of the young people who make it up — different countries, languages, faiths and life experiences, brought together by a shared interest in shaping the world they’re inheriting. Every role in the Alliance is open on that basis alone: genuine interest, aptitude and fit for the work.

The Alliance runs on the reliability of its people, not on constant availability. What matters is that Associates show up for what they’ve committed to, communicate honestly when life gets in the way, and follow through on the work in front of them.

Pre-approved leave — exams, medical emergencies, bereavement and similar circumstances — never counts against an Associate, as long as it’s flagged in advance wherever possible. And before any change in standing takes effect, every Associate is told the basis for it in writing, given the chance to respond, and has the right to appeal.

Associates are often trusted with things that haven’t been made public yet — internal strategy, partner and donor information, work still in draft. That trust is part of what makes the Alliance able to operate across so many institutions at once, and it’s not something we take lightly.

The same standard applies to the Alliance itself: the personal data we collect from Associates — contact details, participation records and similar information — is handled lawfully, for clearly defined purposes, and with real safeguards around it. A dedicated privacy notice for Associates and applicants accompanies this policy.

A great deal of the Alliance’s work — dialogues, campaigns, School Diplomacy Club exchanges — happens on screens as much as in rooms. The same standards of respect and honesty apply there.

No community gets everything right all the time. What matters is that Associates always have a safe way to say so — and that saying so never costs them anything.

Concerns about harassment, discrimination, ethical breaches or misuse of authority can be raised, in confidence, through:

Reports made honestly and in good faith are always protected. The Alliance does not tolerate retaliation against anyone who speaks up, even where a concern ultimately isn’t upheld.

Reports, research, designs and communications material that Associates create as part of their role become part of the Alliance’s work and are treated as such. Anything an Associate brings with them from before their time with the Alliance stays theirs, as long as it’s disclosed up front. And nothing an Associate creates through their role goes out — published, submitted or entered into a competition — without the Alliance’s written sign-off first.

This Agreement, and the standards in it, exist to protect the community — not to punish people for falling short of it. Wherever an issue can be worked through informally, the Alliance will try that first.

Where a formal review is needed, every Associate is told in writing exactly what’s being reviewed, is given a genuine chance to respond, and receives a documented decision with the right to appeal once. The only exception is where there’s an immediate risk to someone’s safety — in those cases, the Alliance may need to act faster to protect the people involved.