Image: Augustina Medina

Code of Conduct

The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group hosts a biennial conference to exchange and disseminate scientific information on shorebirds, including ecology, behavior, evolution, conservation, and outreach. Because effective exchange of ideas can only be accomplished in a friendly and open environment, it is fundamental to ensure that conference attendees treat each other with courtesy and respect in all interactions, including face-to-face, written, or electronic. For this reason, WHSG places special care and emphasis on provisioning and ensuring a safe, hospitable and productive environment for everyone attending its biennial conference, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, physical appearance, gender, age, or sexual orientation. We take this aspect of our mission very seriously and expect all conference attendees to behave courteously, respectfully, and professionally to each other, to WHSG representatives, to conference volunteers, exhibitors and local conference venue staff.

WHSG expects conference attendees to be able to engage in open discussions free of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. We strongly believe that a community where people feel uncomfortable, threatened, or under discriminatory scrutiny is neither healthy nor productive. Accordingly, WHSG strictly prohibits any degree of intimidating, threatening, or harassing conduct during our conferences. This policy applies to speakers, staff, volunteers, exhibitors, and attendees. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned, expelled from the conference, or expelled from WHSG at the discretion of the WHSG Executive Committee.

  • Any attendee who believes that she/he/they has/have been subjected to harassment, notices that someone else is being harassed, or has any other concerns about an individual’s behavior should contact any member of the WHSG Executive Committee or Local Committee. She/he/they will be not required or expected to discuss the concern with the alleged offender. All complaints will be treated extremely seriously and investigated during the conference itself, unless reported after its completion. Reports will be filed. Confidentiality will be honored to the extent permitted as long as the rights of others are not compromised. Maximum sensitivity to the discomfort of the harassed participant will be favored by assigning the lead of the complaint-management, whenever feasible, to an Executive Committee member as capable as possible to comprehend the sensitivity of the issue at stake, (e.g. cases of sexual harassment will be led by an Executive Committee member of the same gender; cases of discrimination against a minority by a minority, Executive Committee member with experience working abroad etc.)

  • Individuals engaging in behavior prohibited by this policy as well as those making false allegations of harassment will be subject to disciplinary action. WHSG leadership may take any action they deem appropriate, ranging from a verbal warning to ejection from the conference or activity in question without refund of registration fees, to expulsion from the group, and the reporting of their behavior to their employer. Repeat offenders may be subject to further disciplinary action, such as being banned from participating in future conferences. Disciplinary action will apply to all offenders participating in the conference, including WHSG Executive Committee members and Local Committee members.

  • WHSG will not tolerate any form of retaliation or attempt at dissuasion against individuals who file a complaint or assist in the investigation, either by the original offender, or by any individual on his/her behalf, or by the Executive Committee member who receives the initial complaint. Retaliation is a serious violation of this policy and, like harassment or discrimination itself, will be subject to disciplinary action.

  • Any questions regarding this policy should be directed to the WHSG Executive Committee Chair/regional member, or the Local Committee Chair/member, which will re-direct it to their larger group. In the event that an individual involved in any reported incident is dissatisfied with the disciplinary action, she/he/they may appeal to the WHSG Executive Committee, which will privately discuss the issue and vote for a decision.

  • 1. Whenever possible, the situation will be dealt with informally and in real time by approaching the offender and communicating a warning to the offender to immediately cease the behavior, without revealing the identity of the complainant and after approval about this procedure by the complainant.

    2. Should this not be enough, and previous approval by the complainant, the WHSG Executive Committee will name one or two impartial investigators, considered to be sensitive to the delicacy of the task and capable to assess it professionally.

    3. Any named investigator who believes they have a conflict of interest should not serve as an investigator.

    4. The investigator(s) will request an official written letter of complaint from the complainant (documenting the nature of the harassment and/or discrimination, with detailed information including times, places, nature of incident(s), and comments made). Supporting documentation (emails, notes, posts, etc.) and statements from witnesses should be submitted with the letter.

    5. In most cases, the complainant will be interviewed first and the written complaint reviewed. If the complainant has not already filed a formal complaint, he or she should be asked to do so.

    6. The details of the complaint should be explained to the alleged offender by the investigator.

    7. The alleged offender should be given a reasonable chance to respond to the evidence of the complainant and to bring his or her own evidence.

    8. If the facts are in dispute, further investigatory steps may include interviewing those named as witnesses.

    9. If, for any reason, the investigator(s) is in doubt about whether or how to continue, he or she will seek appropriate counsel (from the WHSG Executive Committee, legal—if approved by the WHSG Executive Committee, etc).

    10. When the investigation is complete, the investigator(s) will report the findings to the WHSG Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will determine how to proceed and if a report should be submitted to the offender’s employer.