Ethics and Best Practices Charter

Preamble

This Ethics and Best Practices Charter (hereinafter referred to as “the Charter”) aims to establish a clear, precise, and binding framework for the use of the web platform set up by the Association of Rural Engineering Professionals (hereinafter “the Association”). The Association’s objective is to promote the visibility of rural engineering professionals’ competencies, foster debate on issues related to rural engineering, water, and agriculture in Morocco, as well as to disseminate relevant information and news in these fields. The platform also enables rural engineers to showcase their profiles and skills, publish technical and professional articles, post professional announcements, and allows other registered users to publish articles (blogs) and react to the content. Any person wishing to register and use the platform must read and unreservedly accept this Charter. Failure to comply may result in the suspension or deletion of the user’s account, as well as the removal of any inappropriate content.

I. Scope of Application

  1. This Charter applies to all registered users of the platform, including but not limited to: rural engineering professionals, non-engineer registered individuals, administrators, moderators, members of the content validation committee, and any non-registered visitor wishing to interact or subsequently register.
  2. The Charter is complementary to the legal and regulatory provisions in force in Morocco. In the event of a conflict, Moroccan law shall prevail.

II. General Principles

  1. Respect and Courtesy: All users must be respectful, polite, and courteous toward other members, administrators, and visitors. No insults, personal attacks, slander, defamation, or abusive language will be tolerated.
  2. Honesty and Integrity: The information provided (profile, skills, publications) must be accurate, truthful, and verifiable. It is prohibited to impersonate others, lie about qualifications, or disseminate false information.
  3. Ideological, Political, and Religious Neutrality: The platform’s purpose is to address technical and professional issues related to rural engineering, water, and agriculture. Content of a religious, political, ethnic, or sectarian nature is strictly prohibited, as is any content promoting a political ideology, religious practice, or cult. Similarly, no content inciting hatred, racism, discrimination, or sectarianism will be tolerated.
  4. Professionalism: Engineers using the platform to present their skills and publish technical articles must do so in accordance with professional ethics and current technical, scientific, and professional standards.

III. Conditions of Registration and Use

  1. Personal Information:
    • Users must provide true and complete information when registering.
    • Rural engineering professionals may be required to provide proof of their diplomas and professional affiliations to benefit from features related to displaying their competencies.
  2. Feature Accessibility:
    • Registered rural engineers can highlight their skills through a full CV-like profile.
    • Other registered users can publish blog articles but cannot display their skills as a CV.
  3. Account Security:
    • Each user is responsible for the security and confidentiality of their login credentials.
    • Users must immediately inform the administrators in case of fraudulent use or suspected security breach of their account.

IV. Commitments of Rural Engineering Professionals

  1. Accuracy of Skills: Rural engineering professionals agree to provide truthful information about their diplomas, professional experience, areas of expertise, and references.
  2. Technical and Professional Content: Articles, announcements, and information published by engineers must be factual, comply with professional standards, and adhere to best practices in rural engineering and related fields.
  3. Offers and Announcements: Engineers may publish professional announcements (job offers, job requests, internship offers, internship requests, etc.) related to the practice of rural engineering or related fields (water, agriculture, rural development). Any misleading, deceptive, or legally non-compliant announcement is prohibited.

V. Commitments of Other Users

  1. Respect for the Thematic Scope: Non-engineer users may publish blog articles, but they must remain within the main themes of the site (rural engineering, water, agriculture, rural development, technical innovations, etc.).
  2. Absence of Hateful or Inappropriate Speech: All users, whether engineers or not, are strictly prohibited from publishing defamatory, insulting, discriminatory, or otherwise inappropriate content contrary to morality, law, or this Charter.

VI. Content and Blog Publication

  1. Submission and Approval:
    • Any blog article submitted by a rural engineer or another registered user is subject to the approval of a validation committee designated by the Association.
    • The validation committee reserves the right to refuse or request modifications to any article that does not comply with the Charter or the editorial line.
  2. Neutrality and Relevance of Content: Articles must address subjects related to rural engineering, water, agriculture, or the management and enhancement of natural resources. Any article dealing with political, religious, ethnic ideas, or promoting violence, hatred, terrorism, racism, or sectarianism will be refused and may result in sanctions.
  3. Author’s Responsibility: The author of each article is fully responsible for the content they publish. They must ensure respect for copyright, confidentiality of sensitive information, and the accuracy of the data presented.

VII. Inappropriate Content and Moderation Procedure

  1. Non-Compliant Content: Inappropriate and thus prohibited content includes: anything contrary to Moroccan laws or international treaties ratified by Morocco, or professional regulations; political, religious, ethnic, or sectarian content; any content inciting hatred, discrimination, or violence; insults, defamation, obscene or shocking content, harassment; confidential information published without authorization; violations of copyright or other intellectual property rights.
  2. Reporting: Users may report any content they deem non-compliant to the administrators. Administrators and moderators commit to examining these reports promptly.
  3. Content Removal: The Association reserves the right to remove at any time any content that does not comply with the Charter.
  4. Sanctions: In the event of a violation, graduated sanctions may be applied, ranging from a warning to the suspension or permanent deletion of the user’s account, and possibly legal proceedings in accordance with the Moroccan Penal Code and applicable laws.

VIII. Intellectual Property

  1. Respect for Copyright:
    • Users guarantee that content they publish (articles, images, videos, graphics, etc.) does not infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties.
    • Any unauthorized reproduction of protected content is strictly prohibited.
  2. License for Publication: By publishing content on the platform, the user grants the Association a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, adapt, translate, distribute, and publicly display the content as necessary for the operation and promotion of the platform. This license ends when the user removes their content or deletes their account, except where the content has already been exploited (archives, previously sent newsletters, etc.).

IX. Personal Data Protection

  1. In accordance with Moroccan Law No. 09-08 on the protection of personal data, users’ personal data is processed accordingly. Users have the right to access, correct, and delete their data, which they may exercise by contacting the Association.
  2. Collected data will only be used for operating the platform and improving services. It will not be transferred to third parties without the users’ explicit consent, except where legally required.

X. Compliance with Moroccan and International Law

  1. Users agree to respect all laws and regulations in force in Morocco, as well as applicable international laws. No illegal activity such as counterfeiting, fraud, defamation, incitement to racial or religious hatred, harassment, or terrorism will be tolerated. Any content contrary to public morality, public order, or Moroccan criminal law is prohibited.
  2. In case of investigations by Moroccan authorities, the Association reserves the right to cooperate and disclose necessary information in accordance with legal frameworks.

XI. Sanctions and Appeals

  1. Disciplinary Measures: Depending on the seriousness of the violation, administrators and the validation committee may issue a warning, temporarily suspend access, disable or permanently delete the user’s account, or remove the offending content.
  2. Appeals: In the event of a contested sanction, the user may submit a written request for review to the validation committee, which will render a final, reasoned decision not subject to internal appeal.

XII. Acceptance of the Charter

  1. Registering on the platform constitutes full and complete acceptance of this Charter.
  2. The Association reserves the right to amend the Charter to reflect legal, technological, or internal developments. Each user will be informed of updates, and continued use of the platform implies acceptance of these changes.

By checking the 'I accept the Ethics Charter' box, the user acknowledges having read, understood, and accepted all the provisions mentioned above.

Done in Morocco, this Charter takes effect from its online publication and applies to all users.