26 December 2013

To all our stakeholders:

I am pleased to reaffirm FJS Consulting Pvt Ltd’s commitment to upholding the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact in the areas of Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti-Corruption.

FJS firmly believes in the values and principles that the UNGC represents, and we stand by our commitment as one of the first signatory members of the UNGC Maldives Network to encourage other entities in the Maldives to embrace the UNGC Principles.

We are pleased to share our first annual Communication of Progress with our stakeholders.

Yours Sincerely,
Fareeha Shareef
CEO

FJS is committed to the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights, and we actively refrain from activities which may restrict the human rights of our employees. Furthermore, as an economic advisory service engaged with policy makers, we advocate the protection of human rights across the Maldives.

FJS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we are vocal on gender equality and the rights of women and children. We have strict policies on equal remuneration for equal pay, and we foster a culture of respect and tolerance among our multi-cultural staff.

There have been no reports of violation of human rights within our organization, and we have successfully completed several projects for clients including the Maldivian government to encourage the protection of human rights in the Maldives. We are also one of the Maldives’s leading professional firms in employing women, achieving a healthy gender balance among our employees.

FJS does not restrict staff from any freedom of association, and respects employees’ right to collective bargaining. We are fully compliant with Maldivian employment laws and regulations, and we uphold ILO conventions that Maldives is a signatory to.

FJS employment policies, contracts and code of conduct provide a strong framework that ensures all employees go through the same hiring and selection process. Employees are remunerated based on a transparent, accountable basis in accordance with employment contracts and hours worked.

FJS is proud to have retained almost all its employees since inception of the company, and we are attracting more talent as the company matures.

As a company operating in one of the world’s most environmentally vulnerable nations, FJS is vigilant to environmental challenges. We have implemented recycling policies to reduce the use of paper, and we ensure that our attitude towards the environment translates into all work that we do.

FJS enforces a recycling policy among staff to reduce wastage of paper, and has energy management policies for office equipment that all staff are advised to adhere to. FJS is currently in the process of making the company a paperless operation.

FJS monitors power consumption on a monthly basis, and takes action to reduce above average energy use. FJS is currently eliminating the use of paper-based records and the move to an entirely paperless operation is expected to be completed in 2014. FJS has also eliminated the use of plastic water bottles for drinking water.

FJS works on many engagements that are publicly tendered, and therefore we very actively discourage acts that may lead to, or be misconstrued as acts of corruption. Our employees and partners uphold the highest ethical standards, and we support fair and equitable competition within our industry.

While FJS strives to maintain close relationships with our clients, we discourage any form of communication or actions that may be inferred as bribery to solicit business. We also have, in some instances, declined engagements which do not fall within clear ethical boundaries. Also, we actively refuse to solicit business from public entities in which partners or officers of FJS are representatives or board members.

To date, FJS has won, and completed many engagements that have been publicly tendered. We are proud to note that we have so far received not even a single allegation of corruption or bribery, and we aspire to maintain this record in the future.