WORLD PARKINSON CONGRESS INC.

POLICY ON CORPORATE RELATIONSHIPS

The World Parkinson Congress Inc., a Delaware non-stock nonprofit corporation (WPC), enjoys diverse productive relationships with corporations including those in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Their products and services can help people with Parkinson’s and advance the science to help find the cause and cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Their philanthropy can help WPC advance its mission of hosting a world conference offering education on Parkinson’s research and progress to health professionals, researchers, people with PD, caregivers, and others.

For these and other reasons, the WPC welcomes strong, creative and productive relationships with corporations and other entities. At the same time, WPC recognizes that maintaining the highest level of trust with its main communities – researchers, clinicians, allied health professionals, patients, and caregivers – requires that WPC should promulgate and should adhere to the highest standards of integrity and independence in its corporate relationships.

Specifically, in any and all relationships that the WPC maintains with pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other corporations, it will adhere to the following principles:

Ultimate Control by World Parkinson Coalition Inc.

1. In order to assure fidelity to its charitable purposes, WPC will always reserve to itself total control and final decision-making over all programs, products, and activities that are commissioned under its name, and will accept no conditions from corporate or other sponsors on the nature or content of these programs, products or activities.

No Endorsements of Products or Services

2. WPC shall never publicly endorse a commercial product or service, nor shall it permit its name or logo to be included in the corporate advertising or marketing of a commercial product, whether or not the sponsor has any financial or other relationship with WPC.

No Licenses of Names – Control over Use of Names

3. WPC will not license its name, brand or logo to any sponsor and shall always reserve the right to review and approve the manner in which a sponsor plans to refer, in its own public relations and marketing activities, to the WPC name, brand or logo.

Quality and Integrity Essential to Corporate Relationships

4. WPC will not solicit or accept financial or other support from a company whose reputation, products or marketing strategies violate WPC's own standards of quality, integrity and social vision.

Avoidance of Conflicts of Interests

5. WPC shall continuously  monitor the relationships that may exist between corporations and its own staff and Board members to ensure that none of these present conflicts of interest, whether real or apparent, with sponsors or other potential donors.

Disclosure of Financial Support

6. In any and all cases in which the WPC receives financial support from a commercial sponsor, the nature of this support shall be thoroughly and completely disclosed.

Sponsorship Recognition

7. The WPC expects to recognize corporate financial support and sponsorship in appropriate ways. This can take such forms as giving public credit to the donor for an "unrestricted educational grant,” and, in some cases (e.g., the Congress marketing material and onsite program) providing recognition pages.

Fair Treatment of Corporate Sponsors

8. In its dealings with potential or existing corporate sponsors, the WPC shall ensure that all are treated fairly and equitably.

 

Above all, the WPC will always strive to avoid entering into any relationship with a corporation that would in any way suggest that its commitment to health professionals, researchers, patients, and families – its primary communities – can be traded for financial support or other favors from supporters.

This policy was adopted by the Board of Directors of the World Parkinson Coalition Inc. on October 16, 2008.