ORDER OF MALTA
LITHUANIA
RELIEF ORGANISATION
CODE OF ETHICS
1. Introduction
Relief Organisation of the Order of Malta (Maltos Ordino pagalbos tarnyba hereinafter referred to
as the MOPT) is a non-governmental, politically independent, strong, Catholic, high reputation,
modern, independent, voluntary organisation, through programs, projects and regular actions
dedicating the activities to the most vulnerable segment of society – the elderly living alone, the
disabled, children and adolescents (hereafter referred to as the service recipients) for spiritual
development, reduction of social exclusion, improvement of social position in Lithuania.
The Code of Ethics of the MOPT establishes the basic principles of volunteers or this
organisation, ethical and legal conduct of employees and managers, which are not directly
regulated by legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania, Articles of Association of the MOPT and other
internal regulative documents. Moral and legal requirements of the Code of Ethics are general and
mandatory to all executors of the activities.
All individuals, executing the MOPT activities and newly joining it and structural units shall
familiarize with and follow the Code of Ethics of the MOPT.
2. The main ethical values
Membership in the MOPT organisation obliges everyone to achieve the general objective,
following:
• the motto of the Order of Malta “Defence of the faith and assistance to the poor”;
• the mission of the MOPT “To provide assistance to the needy, the disabled, living alone, and other
social risk individuals or groups, to promote social maturity and volunteerism in cooperation with
the social partners and sponsors in Lithuania and abroad”;
• the vision of the MOPT “A modern, open, honourable, developing, uniting people of good will,
based on voluntary principles and Catholic values organisation, providing qualitative social
services in order to reduce social exclusion in Lithuania”;
• long-term and short-term strategy, aims and objectives of the MOPT activity.
• the following basic ethical values of the activity.
Selfless service to others, creating a balance between personal and public interests:
• To meet the needs of the service recipients, to provide them with complete information about the
MOPT services, without reward or other personal gain.
• To assume personal responsibility for the quality of the services.
• Do not use the MOPT name and achievements for personal goals.
Aspiration for truth and justice.
• To use honestly material resources and to save the means used in the MOPT activity.
• To share knowledge and experience with colleagues, in order to achieve mutual improvement and
social welfare for the service recipients.
• To inform immediately the management of the MOPT about any unforeseen events, faults or
accidents carrying out the activity, as well as terminated relationship with the service recipient (on
his own initiative or due to unexpected change of circumstances).
Respect for each person’s inborn rights: dignity, moral values, freedom of religion, customs,
and traditions.
• Carrying out the activity, it is important to discuss the features of future mutual communication
with support and service recipients, volunteers, members, employees.
• To discuss about respect for the human inborn rights and tolerance with young Maltese and
sponsored children – this will help to avoid unpleasant situations or incidents.
Openness, honesty, responsibility in relationship with support and service recipients,
colleagues, volunteers, members, managers, partners and sponsors.
• In mutual relations everyone must follow the principles of trust, friendliness, tact, courtesy, and
fairness.
• Not to be precluded from constructive criticism.
• Not to cover perceived facts of negligence, dishonesty or misuses, breaches of legal acts, moral
norms or internal order of the MOPT activity.
• To recognize the differences in colleagues’ reviews and to admit reasonable criticism in respect to
yourself.
• To explain correctly mutual misunderstandings.
Respect for the MOPT organisation and its prestige.
• In all occasions to publicize the positive experience of the MOPT, in order to achieve reputation
and prestige.
• To behave respectfully with donators, sponsors and partners.
• To deflect false criticism about the MOPT in private or public conversations.
3. Non-tolerant matters, about which is necessary to inform the immediate superior
or the management of the MOPT
• Non-tolerant can be facts of negligence, dishonesty or misuses, breaches of legal acts, moral
norms or internal order of the MOPT activity.
• Humiliation of support recipient or colleague regarding age, gender, sexual orientation,
appearance, disability, race, ethnic origin, creed, marital status, and etc.
• Indiscreet attack verbally or physical violence against a colleague or a service recipient due to
activity or personal characteristics.
• Appearance of the MOPT member in a public place under the influence of alcohol, drugs,
psychotropic or toxic substances.
• Unreasonable gossip, intrigues and slander in respect of the organisation or a person.
• Disclosure of the confidential information about a colleague, a service recipient or the
organisation without consent of the person or the management of the MOPT.
4. Requirements in order to prevent sexual harassment and violence
• In the MOPT activity participate women, men, youngsters, girls, and boys. Some of them
participate as volunteers, employees or specialists carrying out the activity, others – as a support or
service recipients. For everyone is important to have the physical and mental immunity, to be
protected from sexual or other harassment and violence.
• Everyone participating in the MOPT activity shall be aware of sexual harassment or violence
manifestations, threats and prevention. It is necessary to talk about that with young Malteser and
the service recipients, especially children. To talk nicely, taking into account the age and
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understanding, emphasizing that the MOPT activity is based on Christian values, tolerance and
mutual respect.
• Everyone, whose activity in the organisation is directly related to children, youngsters (leaders of
young Malteser and others working with young Malteser, day care centre employees and
volunteers assisting them, carrying children, those, who provide services at home) already
participating in the activity or just starting it shall complete the commitment of the form approved
by the management of the MOPT in the activity to protect individuals entrusted to him or her from
sexual harassment and violence.
• Persons convicted or accused for sexual harassment, violence or having addiction (to alcohol,
drugs, psychotropic or toxic substances) cannot participate in the MOPT activity relating to
children, youngsters and provide services to support recipients at home.
5. Management ethics
The management of the MOPT consolidates:
• Principles of democratic governance, confidence, creativity and atmosphere promoting initiative
spirit within the organisation.
• Publicity, spread of timely and accurate internal and external information.
• Non-tolerance and response timely to information concerning breaches of the ethical, moral
requirements, legal acts and internal order, even in case of the minimal manifestations of sexual
harassment and any addiction (to alcohol, drugs, psychotropic or toxic substances).
• Human resources as the largest value and success presumption policy in the MOPT activity.
• Internal control of the funds assigned for the MOPT activity and rejection of misuse of the funds
abuse, concealment or legal violations.
The management of the MOPT must:
• Behave with everyone fairly with respect and protection of conscience, expression and
communication rights and privacy of volunteers, members, employees, and support and service
recipients.
• Encourage everyone participating in the MOPT activity to assume personal and professional
responsibility for his/her actions and decisions.
• Collect and analyse feedback in the public space about the organisation’s activity.
• Promote continually the positive experience of the organisation in order to achieve its prestige
and reputation.
• Respect the privacy of donator, sponsor, and partner.
• Ensure transparent, fair, mutual relationship based on trust with sponsors and partners. To
provide regularly them and society with information related to the use of the funds and the results
of the activity.
• Use the funds of donators and sponsors only for the performance of the MOPT activity. When the
sponsor, partner or donator allocates the funds for the specific purpose, to use them solely for that
and to inform the donators concerning the use of the funds and the result.
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