ATU |Council for Professional Accreditation and Certification

1. Document Control

Document Title: ATU-CPAC Ethics and Professional Conduct Policy
Document Owner: ATU-CPAC Ethics, Impartiality, and Professional Conduct Committee
Issuing Authority: Arab Trainers Union
Policy Authority: ATU-CPAC Governing Council
Approval Authority: Arab Trainers Union Board of Directors, where required
Effective Date: 1 June 2026
Review Date: Every three years, or earlier where required
Applicability: ATU-CPAC, approved providers, accredited providers, authorized assessment centers, certified professionals, candidates, learners, trainers, assessors, IQAs, EQAs, reviewers, committee members, partners, and all persons acting under ATU-CPAC-governed activities

2. Introduction

The Arab Trainers Union Council for Professional Accreditation and Certification, referred to as ATU-CPAC, is a specialized council operating within the Arab Trainers Union.

ATU-CPAC regulates, monitors, quality assures, and verifies professional accreditation, professional certification, assessment, quality assurance, registry, and compliance activities under the authority of the Arab Trainers Union.

Ethics and professional conduct are essential to protecting the credibility of ATU-issued credentials, the fairness of assessment and certification decisions, the integrity of accredited providers, and the trust of learners, employers, partners, and public stakeholders.

All certificates, professional certifications, accreditation certificates, assessed certificates, registry confirmations, and verification records governed by ATU-CPAC are issued in the name and under the authority of the Arab Trainers Union.

3. Purpose

This policy sets out the ethical and professional conduct requirements for all persons and organizations operating under the ATU-CPAC framework.

The policy aims to:

1. Protect the integrity and reputation of the Arab Trainers Union and ATU-CPAC.
2. Promote honesty, fairness, transparency, respect, and professional responsibility.
3. Prevent conflicts of interest, bias, misconduct, fraud, malpractice, and misleading claims.
4. Ensure that accreditation, certification, assessment, and quality assurance decisions are impartial and evidence-based.
5. Protect learners, candidates, certified professionals, providers, partners, and stakeholders.
6. Define expected conduct and unacceptable conduct.
7. Establish procedures for reporting, investigating, and managing ethical concerns.
8. Support public trust in ATU-issued credentials.

4. Scope

This policy applies to ethical and professional conduct related to:

1. Provider accreditation.
2. Professional certification.
3. Assessed training programs.
4. Certificates of achievement.
5. Assessment and examination activities.
6. Internal quality assurance.
7. External quality assurance.
8. Registry and digital verification.
9. Complaints and appeals.
10. Suspension, withdrawal, and revocation.
11. Use of ATU, ATU-CPAC, and partner names, logos, seals, badges, and public statements.
12. Partner-endorsed or jointly supported activities where applicable.
13. Transition of existing ATU accredited centers and certified trainers into the ATU-CPAC framework.

This policy applies to conduct in face-to-face, online, blended, workplace-based, administrative, assessment, governance, advisory, and public communication contexts.

5. Ethics and Professional Conduct Principles

ATU-CPAC ethics and professional conduct shall be guided by the following principles.

5.1 Integrity

All parties shall act honestly, truthfully, and responsibly in all accreditation, certification, assessment, quality assurance, registry, and public communication activities.

5.2 Impartiality

Decisions shall be free from bias, conflict of interest, personal relationship, improper influence, commercial pressure, or unfair advantage.

5.3 Respect

All parties shall treat learners, candidates, professionals, providers, colleagues, partners, and stakeholders with dignity, courtesy, and professionalism.

5.4 Accountability

All parties shall accept responsibility for their actions, decisions, records, representations, and compliance obligations.

5.5 Transparency

Requirements, decisions, public claims, certificate status, accreditation status, and professional titles shall be represented clearly and accurately.

5.6 Confidentiality

Confidential information, personal data, assessment materials, committee decisions, complaints, appeals, investigations, and registry records shall be protected.

5.7 Fairness

Learners, candidates, providers, and certified professionals shall receive fair treatment, clear information, and access to complaints and appeals.

5.8 Professional Competence

Trainers, assessors, IQAs, EQAs, reviewers, and certified professionals shall act within their approved competence, scope, and authority.

5.9 Public Trust

All parties shall avoid conduct that may damage the reputation, credibility, or trust of the Arab Trainers Union, ATU-CPAC, valid credential holders, or approved providers.

6. Expected Professional Conduct

All persons and organizations operating under ATU-CPAC shall:

1. Act honestly and professionally.
2. Follow ATU-CPAC policies, standards, procedures, and approved instructions.
3. Provide accurate information and evidence.
4. Avoid false, misleading, or exaggerated claims.
5. Respect confidentiality and data protection requirements.
6. Declare conflicts of interest.
7. Avoid bias and discrimination.
8. Use approved titles, certificates, logos, badges, and registry status correctly.
9. Cooperate with monitoring, investigation, IQA, EQA, complaints, and appeals.
10. Maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
11. Respect intellectual property.
12. Avoid improper influence, bribery, favoritism, or personal advantage.
13. Report suspected malpractice, misconduct, or misuse.
14. Maintain competence and professional development where required.
15. Protect the reputation of ATU and ATU-CPAC.

7. Prohibited Conduct

The following conduct is prohibited under the ATU-CPAC framework:

1. Providing false, incomplete, or misleading information.
2. Falsifying qualifications, experience, assessment evidence, or documents.
3. Cheating, plagiarism, impersonation, collusion, or unauthorized assistance.
4. Misuse of artificial intelligence tools where prohibited or undeclared.
5. Unauthorized use of assessment materials, examination papers, rubrics, or marking schemes.
6. Bribery, gifts intended to influence decisions, favoritism, or improper pressure.
7. Conflict of interest that is not declared or managed.
8. Discrimination, harassment, intimidation, abuse, or disrespectful conduct.
9. Misuse of ATU, ATU-CPAC, or partner names, logos, seals, certificates, digital badges, QR codes, or registry records.
10. Claiming approval, accreditation, certification, recognition, partnership, or government licensing without authority.
11. Issuing, promising, or advertising ATU certificates without authorization.
12. Altering certificates, results, verification links, or registry records.
13. Breaching confidentiality or data protection requirements.
14. Obstructing reviews, audits, investigations, IQA, EQA, complaints, or appeals.
15. Retaliating against a person who raises a concern in good faith.
16. Conduct that damages the credibility of ATU, ATU-CPAC, providers, candidates, partners, or valid credential holders.

8. Conflict of Interest

All relevant persons shall declare actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.

Conflicts of interest may include:

1. Financial interest.
2. Employment or consultancy relationship.
3. Family or personal relationship.
4. Ownership or partnership interest.
5. Prior involvement in training, assessment, or appeal matter.
6. Direct competition.
7. Personal dispute.
8. Gifts, benefits, or hospitality that may influence judgment.
9. Any situation that may affect impartiality or appear to affect impartiality.

Where a conflict exists, ATU-CPAC may require:

1. Disclosure in writing.
2. Removal from the decision or review.
3. Appointment of an alternative reviewer, assessor, IQA, EQA, or committee member.
4. Additional oversight.
5. Recording of the management action.
6. Escalation to the Ethics, Impartiality, and Professional Conduct Committee.

9. Gifts, Benefits, and Improper Influence

No person may offer, request, accept, or provide gifts, payments, favors, benefits, or hospitality that may influence, or appear to influence, an accreditation, certification, assessment, quality assurance, complaint, appeal, registry, or compliance decision.

Any attempted bribery, improper influence, or inappropriate benefit must be reported to ATU-CPAC immediately.

ATU-CPAC may investigate and apply sanctions where improper influence is confirmed or reasonably suspected.

10. Confidentiality and Data Protection

All parties shall protect confidential information obtained through ATU-CPAC-governed activities.

Confidential information may include:

1. Candidate personal data.
2. Learner records.
3. Assessment evidence.
4. Examination questions.
5. Marking schemes and rubrics.
6. Assessment results.
7. IQA and EQA reports.
8. Provider records.
9. Complaints and appeals.
10. Investigation records.
11. Committee minutes.
12. Registry records not approved for public disclosure.
13. Partner-restricted information.
14. Internal ATU and ATU-CPAC communications.

Confidential information shall be accessed, used, shared, stored, and disposed of only according to approved authority and procedures.

11. Academic Integrity and Assessment Ethics

Candidates, learners, trainers, assessors, providers, and assessment centers shall maintain academic and assessment integrity.

Assessment-related misconduct may include:

1. Cheating.
2. Plagiarism.
3. Impersonation.
4. Collusion.
5. Falsified evidence.
6. Unauthorized assistance.
7. Unauthorized use or sharing of assessment materials.
8. Undeclared or prohibited use of AI tools.
9. Alteration of marks or feedback.
10. Improper assessor support.
11. Submission of work completed by another person.
12. Breach of assessment security.

Assessment misconduct may result in reassessment, result cancellation, certificate hold, suspension, withdrawal, revocation, registry update, or referral to ATU leadership.

12. Public Claims and Use of ATU-CPAC Status

All public claims must be accurate, approved, and within the authorized scope.

Providers, certified professionals, trainers, assessors, partners, and certificate holders must not:

1. Claim approval, accreditation, or certification outside the approved scope.
2. Claim active status where the status is expired, suspended, withdrawn, or revoked.
3. Claim independent authority to issue ATU certificates.
4. Claim government licensing, academic equivalence, or statutory recognition unless legally granted.
5. Advertise unapproved programs as accredited.
6. Promise certification without required assessment.
7. Misuse ATU, ATU-CPAC, or partner names, logos, seals, certificates, badges, or QR codes.
8. Use misleading testimonials, endorsements, registry screenshots, or certificate samples.
9. Misrepresent attendance certificates as professional certification.

ATU-CPAC may require correction, removal of misleading content, registry update, suspension, or other action where public claims are inaccurate or misleading.

13. Responsibilities of ATU-CPAC

ATU-CPAC shall:

1. Maintain and enforce ethics and professional conduct requirements.
2. Promote impartiality in all decisions.
3. Require conflict-of-interest declarations.
4. Protect confidential information.
5. Investigate ethical concerns fairly.
6. Maintain records of ethics matters.
7. Apply proportionate sanctions where required.
8. Protect complainants from retaliation.
9. Monitor public claims and misuse of status.
10. Escalate serious matters to ATU leadership.
11. Use ethics findings for continuous improvement.

14. Responsibilities of Providers

Approved and accredited providers shall:

1. Maintain ethical conduct in all ATU-CPAC-governed activities.
2. Use accurate public information.
3. Ensure trainers are certified by the Arab Trainers Union where required.
4. Use only approved trainers, assessors, programs, and assessment materials.
5. Protect assessment integrity.
6. Maintain confidentiality and data protection.
7. Manage complaints, appeals, and misconduct fairly.
8. Report serious misconduct or malpractice to ATU-CPAC.
9. Cooperate with monitoring, investigation, IQA, and EQA.
10. Prevent misuse of ATU, ATU-CPAC, and partner names or logos.
11. Take corrective action where ethical breaches occur.

15. Responsibilities of Certified Professionals and Certificate Holders

Certified professionals and certificate holders shall:

1. Use professional titles accurately.
2. Act within the scope and validity of their certification.
3. Avoid misleading claims about competence, level, recognition, or authority.
4. Maintain professional conduct and integrity.
5. Protect confidential information.
6. Avoid misuse of certificates, badges, QR codes, or registry records.
7. Report errors or misuse involving their certificate or certification.
8. Cooperate with investigations or verification requests.
9. Complete renewal and CPD requirements where applicable.
10. Stop using expired, suspended, withdrawn, or revoked credentials.

16. Responsibilities of Trainers, Assessors, IQAs, and EQAs

Trainers, assessors, internal quality assurers, and external quality assurers shall:

1. Act professionally and impartially.
2. Work only within their competence and approved scope.
3. Declare conflicts of interest.
4. Maintain confidentiality.
5. Protect assessment and quality assurance records.
6. Apply approved criteria, rubrics, and procedures.
7. Avoid improper assistance to candidates.
8. Provide fair and evidence-based judgments.
9. Report suspected malpractice or misconduct.
10. Cooperate with standardization, IQA, EQA, and investigations.

17. Responsibilities of Candidates and Learners

Candidates and learners shall:

1. Provide truthful information.
2. Submit authentic work and evidence.
3. Follow assessment rules.
4. Declare AI use where required.
5. Avoid cheating, plagiarism, impersonation, or collusion.
6. Respect confidentiality of assessment materials.
7. Communicate respectfully with providers, assessors, and ATU-CPAC.
8. Report misconduct or malpractice in good faith.
9. Use certificate or certification status honestly.
10. Follow complaints and appeals procedures appropriately.

18. Responsibilities of Partners

Partners shall:

1. Act within the approved partnership scope.
2. Use ATU and ATU-CPAC names, logos, and statements only as authorized.
3. Protect shared data and confidential information.
4. Report suspected misuse or misconduct.
5. Comply with approved quality assurance and branding requirements.
6. Avoid misleading claims about endorsement, recognition, joint certification, or authority.
7. Cooperate with investigation and corrective action where required.

19. Reporting Ethical Concerns

Any person may report an ethical concern, misconduct, malpractice, conflict of interest, misuse of status, or public claim concern to ATU-CPAC.

Reports should include:

1. Name and contact details where possible.
2. Person or organization involved.
3. Description of the concern.
4. Date and location where applicable.
5. Supporting evidence.
6. Impact or risk.
7. Any previous action taken.

Anonymous reports may be reviewed where sufficient evidence is provided or where the concern involves serious risk, malpractice, fraud, public trust, data protection, or certificate integrity.

20. Investigation of Ethical Concerns

ATU-CPAC shall investigate ethical concerns fairly, confidentially, and proportionately.

The normal investigation process includes:

1. Concern received.
2. Initial risk review.
3. Evidence secured.
4. Conflict-of-interest check completed.
5. Investigation assigned.
6. Affected party notified where appropriate.
7. Response requested where appropriate.
8. Evidence reviewed.
9. Findings documented.
10. Decision or recommendation made.
11. Outcome communicated.
12. Corrective action or sanction applied where required.
13. Registry updated where required.
14. Appeal rights communicated where applicable.

Urgent temporary action may be taken where certificate integrity, learner protection, public trust, assessment security, data protection, or ATU reputation is at risk.

21. Possible Actions and Sanctions

Where ethical breach or professional misconduct is confirmed, ATU-CPAC may apply one or more actions.

Possible actions include:

1. Advice or guidance.
2. Formal warning.
3. Correction notice.
4. Requirement to remove misleading claims.
5. Required training or standardization.
6. Corrective action plan.
7. Increased monitoring.
8. Certificate hold.
9. Limitation of scope.
10. Suspension.
11. Withdrawal.
12. Revocation.
13. Registry status update.
14. Public clarification where necessary.
15. Referral to ATU leadership.
16. Referral to partner body where applicable.
17. Legal action where required.

Actions shall be proportionate to the seriousness, intent, evidence, impact, recurrence, and risk.

22. Appeals

A person or organization affected by an ethics or professional conduct decision may appeal according to the ATU-CPAC Complaints and Appeals Policy.

Appeals should be submitted within 15 days from notification of the decision unless another approved procedure applies.

Appeals may be based on:

1. Procedure was not followed.
2. Decision was not supported by evidence.
3. New relevant evidence is available.
4. Conflict of interest affected the decision.
5. Sanction was disproportionate.
6. Administrative error occurred.
7. Decision was inconsistent with ATU-CPAC policy or standards.

Appeals shall be reviewed impartially by persons not involved in the original decision.

23. Records Management

ATU-CPAC shall maintain secure records of ethics and professional conduct matters.

Records may include:

1. Declarations of interest.
2. Ethics reports.
3. Evidence submitted.
4. Investigation notes.
5. Committee recommendations.
6. Decision records.
7. Corrective action plans.
8. Sanction records.
9. Appeal records.
10. Registry updates.
11. Public claim correction records.
12. Partner notification records.
13. Closure records.

Records shall be retained according to ATU policy, ATU-CPAC requirements, applicable laws, and partner requirements where applicable.

24. Continuous Improvement

ATU-CPAC shall use ethics and professional conduct findings to improve:

1. Provider guidance.
2. Candidate guidance.
3. Public claims rules.
4. Assessment security.
5. Conflict-of-interest controls.
6. Registry and verification controls.
7. Training for assessors, IQAs, and EQAs.
8. Complaints and appeals procedures.
9. Partner compliance.
10. Standards and policy documents.

Trends shall be reviewed by the Ethics, Impartiality, and Professional Conduct Committee and reported to the ATU-CPAC Governing Council where required.

25. Review of Policy

This policy shall be reviewed every three years or earlier where required due to:

1. ATU Board decision.
2. Legal or regulatory change.
3. ATU-CPAC standards update.
4. Ethics or misconduct trends.
5. Complaints or appeals trends.
6. Malpractice or assessment security incidents.
7. Registry or certificate misuse cases.
8. Partner requirements.
9. Stakeholder feedback.
10. Operational need.

26. Definitions

Final Policy Statement

ATU-CPAC Ethics and Professional Conduct Policy exists to protect integrity, fairness, impartiality, professionalism, and public trust under the authority of the Arab Trainers Union.

Through clear ethical expectations, conflict-of-interest controls, confidentiality, accurate public claims, responsible conduct, fair investigation, proportionate sanctions, and continuous improvement, ATU-CPAC strengthens confidence in ATU-issued credentials and professional accreditation across Arab countries.