Code of Conduct

For participating intellectuals.

Rationale

After years of conflict, distrust and divisive policies, which partly explain the current situation in the Horn of Africa, scholars and intellectuals — within our countries and in the diaspora — express the urgent need to address the problems of the region with a new vision focusing on the commonalities of our peoples. To that end, a Forum of scholars and intellectuals is established to reflect on the common future of the region, open to participants from the countries of the Horn of Africa on the sole basis of their experience and expertise, their scholarly excellence, their willingness to dialogue in a spirit of constructive engagement and their concern for the future of the region.

The main objective of this Forum is to encourage reflection on the common future of the peoples of the region, in order to contribute to the search for and agreement on mutually accepted alternatives to its problems. The originality of this venture is its focus on anticipatory and scenario-building approaches, which help go beyond controversial analyses of the past and present, and explore different possible scenarios for the coming decades. The initiative aims at creating a circle of committed scholars tied by the sentiments of solidarity, comradeship and mutual assistance.

Guiding principles

Having freely agreed on the following guiding principles for the Forum based on our shared values, we particularly commit ourselves to:

• Participating in advancing knowledge, a process inseparable from the examination, questioning and testing of accepted ideas;
• Respecting the outlined principles and values that guide the conduct of the Forum, and promoting academic freedom and independent thinking in our dialogue and exchanges;
• Giving the highest possible standard of service to this civic cause and providing appropriate and impartial advice to the Forum;
• Joining the Forum on a voluntary basis and in our personal capacity, without representing any particular group, thought or interest;
• Being respectful of the confidentiality agreed upon by the members, and not using for personal gain any private or confidential information obtained through the Forum;
• Refraining from promoting partisan, political and sectarian agendas;
• Emphasizing the common denominators and elements of consensus rather than differences and divergences;
• Debating and exchanging views and opinions in a spirit of objectivity, honesty, transparency and constructiveness;
• Confronting ideas with openness, respect, tolerance and fairness, and accepting the challenge posed by divergent opinions;
• Sharing democratically and openly any concern regarding the process of discussion and the organization of the Forum;
• Protecting the independence of the Forum from any undue external influences;
• Respecting internal rules and procedures as collectively defined and agreed for the functioning of the Forum.