To our development partners,

I am pleased to confirm that Training and Technology Transfer Ltd reaffirms its support of the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact in the areas of Human Rights, Labour, Environment, and Anti-Corruption.

In this annual Communication on Progress, we describe our actions to continually improve the integration of the Global Compact and its principles into our business strategy, culture and daily operations. We also commit to share this information with our stakeholders using our primary channels of communication.

Sincerely, and with kind regards,

G. I. A. R. Khan
Executive Director

TTT functions as a development management services provider, focusing on out-country and in-country training, consultancy, and scholarship management for recipients from developing nations. TTT maintains offices, representatives, consultants, training activities, and scholarship placements around the world. As such the issue of human rights was previously not considered to impact as directly on TTT’s work as does the issue of corruption, and no formal policy is in place. Care has always been taken in the care and management of staff, contractors, representatives, scholars, and trainees, and to ensure no complicity in human rights abuses. Although TTT does not have a formal company policy on Human Rights, they have always been a factor in our planning process, as a number of our development projects have focused on providing benefit to at-risk groups such as children, women, and indigenous peoples. In light of our commitment to the UNGC process it is one of our goals to produce a formal policy by the end of Q2, 2020, based on the work of the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.

• TTT works constantly to ensure that all staff, contractors, consultants, trainees, and scholars are provided safe and sanitary conditions, for work and study, including the provision of full pastoral care and living support where required. TTT has formally adopted the New Zealand State Services Commission framework policies on Diversity and Inclusion, and Employment Relations. We maintain ISO 9001:2015 certification that includes support of many aspects of basic human rights in the provision of development services, such as pro-active assistance for effected persons. We protect workers, contractors, consultants, trainees, and scholars, from all forms of harassment at places of work, study, and (if relevant) accommodation. TTT maintains a forward focus on gender equity, to prevent discrimination in matters such as pay parity, advancement, and responsibility. We respect the rights of children, in the context of all 42 articles, wherever there is a potential impact in the work that TTT conducts, and we respect the rights of indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities wherever there is a potential impact in our work. TTT’s work has no risk or overlap with activities that may promote or allow human trafficking. Although not yet part of a formalised process, assessment of potential Human Rights issues and impacts for the development work being planned is discussed and incorporated into the planning processes for our programmes.

To date, with no formally written policy other than the SSC frameworks for diversity and employment relations, TTT monitors Human Rights issues and potential impacts on a case by case basis. It is intended as part of the forthcoming policy to include monitoring structures and criteria for the objective evaluation of performance, and formal acknowledgement of the first two Principles.

Labour rights for TTT are currently defined through our adoption of the New Zealand State Service Commission’s policy framework on employment relations, and the broader frameworks of labour law for each of the countries in which we operate. These frameworks universally outline the right to freedom of association, elimination of forced labour, child labour, and employment discrimination. These frameworks, in conjunction with individual employee contracts, also state employee rights and responsibilities, and their compensation and benefits. TTT’s goals for labour rights are simply to continue to meet all legal and moral obligations.

TTT implements labour policies in line with the legal requirements of each country and aid agency that we work with, as a baseline for the prevention of labour risks and violations. In addition, we also maintain the SSC employment relations framework policy, which ensures comparable pay for comparable work and prevention of discrimination as core features.

Grievance mechanisms are incorporated into each project plan that is produced prior to implementation, and includes 24 hour contacts for all involved parties, as maintained as part of our ISO 9001:2015 project management process. In addition, all TTT offices maintain an ‘open door’ management policy under direction from our Executive. All managers are available to their staff at all times.

TTT has not, to date, experienced or had to respond to any labour violations.

Diversity is inherent to TTT”s working environments, with over half of TTT’s head office employees being female, and local staff making up 100% of the headcount at regional and country offices.

TTT maintains a formal monitoring of some employment factors by senior management as part of our ISO 9001:2015 process. A mark of TTT’s high satisfaction among employee’s is the average employment retention period of 11 years.

Working primarily in the capacity strengthening area, which is largely office and classroom based, TTT has a minimal environmental footprint. However, we are currently undergoing certification for ISO 14001, and seek to reduce our environmental footprint through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste, such as more efficient electricity usage, less paper wastage, and fewer or more efficient international flights where feasible, such as through the recruitment of local staff in areas of implementation, rather than sending core staff from other offices.

During the ISO 14001 certification process it is anticipated that several areas of improvement will be identified, particularly in resource consumption and CO2 production. These will inform the changes that will be undertaken to reduce TTT’s impact on the environment, such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through power usage reduction and quantatively less or more efficient international flights, and the reduction of resource usage through more efficient office practices. Already TTT has reduced travel impact through the sourcing of new staff to act as local agents for project implementation, rather than sending core staff from other offices.

Measurement of outcomes will be based on a comparison of the issues identified in the ISO 14001 certification process, against the changes that have been implemented during the initial period.

Anti-corruption is a hugely important aspect of TTT’s development management business. Many of the countries where TTT operates have serious problems with government and civil corruption, and TTT has many times lost out on contracted work through the corrupt practices of government officials and other operators. TTT itself has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, and ensures that all staff know this through repeated instruction, and that our attitude to corrupt practices is publicly known.

TTT ensures that all staff are aware of the strict stance TTT has toward corrupt practices and activities. Corruption risks are identified during each project planning phase, in order to mitigate them. External audits are conducted annually, against (among other facets) the anti-corruption practices documented in our ISO 9001:2015 process. Internally our financial system is managed to a very tight degree, preventing the misuse of funds, and our records are managed externally by our accountant firm: Grant Thornton.

Anti-corruption monitoring is simple; if any corruption is detected by staff, or the external ISO audit, or through the administration of Grant Thornton, the matter would immediately be referred to the Executive Director. No incident requiring this attention has occurred to date.