governance
&
strategy
Social responsibility at CIRAD
S
ustainable development is central to CIRAD’s work and to its mandate as a public targeted research establishment. To address the urgency of development challenges, CIRAD argues that the social and environmental dimensions of development should be prioritized over its economic dimension in order to ensure the survival of humankind and the planet. CIRAD aligns its commitment to social responsibility with principles relating to respect of human rights,
international labour standards, the environment and the fight against corruption. Its mandate and its practices are also guided by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for France. This is why CIRAD strives to be exemplary in its own practices and their impacts, in accordance with its mandate.
A common thread: ethics, professional conduct and scientific integrity The Committee on Ethics examines the ethical questions raised by research activities and the research process, particularly those that concern the relationships between science and society.
It was rapidly mobilized from its inception and the requests made to it more than tripled between 2018 and 2019 (58 requests over the two years).
In 2019, it issued a statement on genetic modification of animals in the light of modern genome editing techniques.
Since these ethical and scientific integrity issues are a shared concern, a participatory method (Participatory Action Research) is gradually being deployed. In 2019, actions were conducted in Guadeloupe and Martinique, involving universities and research establishments (graduate schools, regional ethics organizations), in collaboration with CNRS, SAS2 and the University of Ottawa.
The Ethics and Research Integrity Office supports the establishment and its staff in terms of ethics and scientific integrity and implements the charter of ethics (awareness, advice and handling of situations).
CIRAD, a committed public establishment‌ a few dates
2007 > Creation of the INRA-CIRAD Committee
on Ethics, joined by IFREMER (2016) and IRD (2019).
2009 > Signature of an agreement on integrating and keeping people with disabilities in the workplace, between General Management and social partners.
2014 > Signature of the French sustainable
development charter for public establishments and enterprises and the national charter on ethics in research professions.
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2019 CIRAD Activities Report