Values in Action: WWF's Core Standards of Performance
We bear witness to the accelerating decline of nature and our climate, with serious consequences for life on Earth, including our own.
Our mission is to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature. To deliver this mission, we work to conserve biodiversity, the web that supports all life on Earth; reduce humanity’s ecological footprint; and ensure the sustainable use of natural resources to support current and future generations.
We celebrate and respect diversity in nature and among the people, partners and communities with whom we work. Across the many cultures and individuals that represent WWF, we are unified by one mission, one brand, and one common set of values:
- Courage: We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it is needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home.
- Integrity: We live the principles we call on others to meet. We act with integrity, accountability and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure we learn and evolve.
- Respect: We honor the voices and knowledge of the people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future.
- Collaboration: We deliver impact at the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.
Our Network Protocols, Policies and Safeguards
Every individual, office and programme of WWF bears fundamental responsibility for honoring our values, our policies and safeguards, and abiding by the governance and internal processes we’ve built to deliver on the same.
Each office leads the delivery of WWF’s strategy in their country and takes the lead on fundraising and engagement of individuals and institutions in their territory. Other offices in the network will respect and honour those roles. Once we have established a global strategy or position or priorities, we act and speak with one voice in service to nature and to people, and to future generations.
In addition to the aforementioned Values, each office and individual employee of WWF is accountable for upholding the following policies and safeguards to which we have committed as a Network:
- Risk Management and Quality Assurance
- Environmental & Social Safeguards Framework
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Gender Equity
- Human Rights
- Poverty and Conservation
- Indigenous Peoples
- Speak Up/Whistleblowing
- Child Safeguarding and Protection of Rights
- Discrimination & Harassment-free WWF
This is not an exhaustive list but instead the most critical policies and safeguards for ensuring our standard of operation across the network. The Network Executive Team will review and determine any updates to the list, with endorsement from the International Board.
Speak up
WWF is committed to a culture which allows people to safely raise concerns of inappropriate conduct by employees of WWF, its partners and people associated with WWF, without fear of reprisals. Likewise, local communities or individuals from those communities who believe they are negatively impacted by WWF’s activities are welcome to send their concerns. Complaints may be submitted in the complainant’s native language, to the local WWF office or to this global Channel here.