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PHILIPSBURG--The Ministry of Justice and its various departments held a ceremony at University of St. Martin on Thursday afternoon to celebrate the completion of a six-month Justice Integrity Programme that led to the development of a Code of Conduct.

The Code of Conduct, in its introduction, states that it "provides a common framework to perform the important tasks within the field of Justice in a responsible manner and with integrity" and explains that it "applies to all those employed by the Ministry of Justice, both directly and indirectly." Its aim is to raise awareness of the necessity of displaying integrity and to provide employees guidance on dealing with integrity.

The Code of Conduct is based on six key principles of behaviour: Incorruptibility, trustworthiness, perceptibility, being meticulous, fairness and public interest, and expands by giving examples of how to deal with matters such as relationships at work, gifts, favours and bribes, confidential information and side jobs. It also gives a five-step action plan on how to deal with difficult decisions.

The Integrity Programme saw consulting company PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) work with members of the various Justice Departments, starting out with a vision on integrity that came to life through the development of materials, the appointment of "persons of confidence" and, more recently, the development of the programme, which consisted of various components, ultimately resulting in the development of the Code of Conduct.

Members of the various organisations contributed to this process through surveys and consultation sessions, and people were trained as facilitators to deliver the programme.

The programme started with an Integrity Training at the Ministry of Justice in April, followed by a number of sessions at the Justice Academy. As a result of the first session, six principles of behaviour were developed. More sessions were dedicated to discussing dilemmas and grey areas, how to reach decisions and where to go for advice.

Sessions were held onsite at the police station, the prison and the Coast Guard headquarters, followed by sessions with the Persons of Confidence and facilitators. Newsletters and surveys were utilised for sharing information and ideas, and a steering committee was instated, consisting of heads of the various departments and a USONA representative. The project was finalised with specific sessions about the Code of Conduct,

Some 80 members of organisations in the Justice System took part in the programme and were awarded certificates in a Justice Integrity Ceremony.

Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams said in opening the ceremony that integrity was a "timely topic." However, she stated that the programme, in which the Ministry of Justice played an important role, had not come about as a result of recent politics. She explained that the necessity of an integrity programme had been recognised both before and since 10-10-10.

"You have reached this far, but there is still a lot to be done," she said, and thanked funding organisation USONA, PWC, those who had recognised the necessity of the programme and those who had participated in it.

The Code of Conduct developed through the Integrity Programme then was presented to her officially by acting Secretary-General Udo Aron.

Ruben Goedkoop of PWC also commented on the programme's timeliness. "No topic is being discussed as much as integrity is today," he said, and emphasised that action is much stronger than words.

"Today, we celebrate an important step in the integrity process. I urge you to utilise this momentum by taking the next step swiftly," he advised those present. He stressed that the Integrity Programme was not related to any Integrity Report and had run independently from any other research or investigation.

He congratulated St. Maarten, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, USONA, the department heads and the participants in the programme.

An explanation was given on the programme, and on how the Code of Conduct had been developed, after which all department heads were called forward to sign and state that their departments would adhere to the new code. Then the names of all those who had participated in the programme were called out and each received a certificate.