A conflict of interest exists when the personal circumstances of an individual can compromise their actions in the workplace. While the concept applies to people at all levels and in different sectors, it is a particularly important issue in the public sector. It is important to be able to identify a conflict of interest early so it may be appropriately managed. This training package provides a basic understanding of conflict of interest and ways to manage it. The supplementary materials at the end are for optional further reading.

Key learning objectives include: 

defining conflicts of interest;

identifying different types of conflicts of interest and how to manage them;

understanding the role of conflict of interest policies. 

Conflict of interest

The online course below was developed in the context of World Bank projects but the principles of conflict of interest discussed in the training translate to the EIPM context.

Topic	Source	Title	Format	Duration	Cost and access
Defining and managing conflict of interest; types of conflict of interest	World Bank	Conflict of Interest Risk Management for Your Project	Online course	1-2 hours	Free, with registration and login

Supplementary materials

All supplementary materials are optional. The first text material was prepared specifically for the G20 Anticorruption Working Group and the principles discussed can apply to all public institutions. It uses experiences from countries in the G20 to illustrate lessons in managing and preventing conflicts of interest. Similarly, the webinar has been designed in the context of the Cochrane Collaboration’s conflict of interest policy and targets lessons around dealing with non-financial interests and disclosure. The last text resource is about ethical considerations, including conflict of interest, in the context of research. 

Topic	Source	Title	Format	Duration	Cost and access
Managing conflicts of interest in public institutions	World Bank, OECD and UNODC	Preventing and Managing Conflicts of Interest in the Public Sector: Good Practices Guide	Text	5 hours	Free, no login required
Management of non-financial interests	Cochrane Collaboration	Cochrane’s new Conflict of Interest policy - How do I deal with “non-financial” interests?	Webinar	40 minutes	Free, no login required
Conflicts of interest and other ethical considerations in research	Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR)	Ethical considerations for health policy and systems research	Text	4 hours	Free, no login required
2020 revision of Cochrane Conflict of Interest Policy	Cochrane Collaboration	Cochrane's new Conflict of Interest Policy - what you need to know	YouTube video	1 hour	–
Ethical issues within the field of public health	EMPHNET	Public Health Ethics	Self-paced online course, with certificate of completion	2 hours	Free, login required