During a mission

If any questions arise while you are on mission, you should always feel that you can contact your Programme Officer at the MSB. In the case of acute matters outside office hours, you can contact the Duty Officer at MSB.

If your concern relates to questions of employment or other personnel support, you can contact your HR Officer whom you were in touch with prior to the mission.

The Code of Conduct

The MSB has adopted a Code of Conduct that applies to all field staff who take part in our international operations. It is part of the contract of employment that all field staff undertake to comply with the ethical rules that the MSB has laid down.

These rules are derived from the concept of the equal value of all human beings irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, political views or disability. This concept has been given legal effect in both international conventions and Swedish law.

The MSB sets high standards for the conduct of our field staff and your observance of ethical rules during a mission. In the event of any breach of the Code of Conduct by one of our field staff, you will be recalled with immediate effect for further investigation in this matter.

Terms of employment

Different agreements are used for different missions, which mean that conditions may vary. For more information, please read the Field Staff Handbook.

Reporting

During the mission the programme officer maintains contact with the partner organisation and monitors the project's costs, activities, results and changes in the organisation, which is in need of assistance. He or she will also determine the frequency and method of your reports from the mission, which will normally be done weekly in an attached template by e-mail.

Gender awareness

The MSB must achieve the highest possible standards of quality and efficiency and, consequently, during a mission it strives actively to take into account and include the different needs of both women and men and girls and boys. The MSB's objective is that all staff members participating in missions must be aware of differences in vulnerability, risks, opportunities and possibilities according to whether one is female or male, girl or boy.

Environmental awareness

The environment is directly linked to health and safety, and is an important aspect of sustainable development. The most important environmental efforts that you can undertake are to make conscious decisions and make the environmental impact of the mission visible. By continuously reporting problems or possible areas of improvement to your programme officer, you will contribute to improved environmental performance. It is your responsibility to follow the MSB Code of Conduct and applicable legislation, and set an example in your daily work.

Health

During the mission staff counsellors and medical coordinators are available to provide support. If you need health related advice during your deployment, you are welcome to first try and contact the medical coordinator or the staff counsellor. During out of office hours the MSB can provide 24/7 access to medical back-office support.

Security

In most missions, there is a local head of security, who is often called a Security Officer. Since you have a great responsibility for your own security during the mission, it is important that you obtain his or her contact details on arrival and that you have a thorough security review, which should also cover evacuation and medevac plans.