CEO message On COVID-19

As the spread and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Integrity is working hard to respond and bring our services and expertise to bear. Our objectives are to protect our team; safeguard our operations and programmes; and work with our government clients and the international community to fight the effects of the pandemic.

The picture on the virus is partial and developing. The challenge is made even more complex by the different strategies that national governments are adopting; some based on suppression, some on mitigation, all aiming to protect their own population as we wait for vaccine development.

Which approach will be the most successful in the medium term remains to be seen. Health, education, government, and market systems across the world are coming under significant levels of stress and pressure. Strategies in response are inevitably based on assumptions and interpretive analysis. Politics are playing a complicating role in some messaging and decisions. The situation will get worse before it gets better.

Integrity’s programming collects and analyses high-quality data, both on the ground and remotely in more than 40 countries globally. This key ability will be a vital tool to understand the social, economic and political impacts of the crisis. Resilient to the strains imposed by time zones, tight deadlines and remote working, and fluent in web-based communication and supporting staff via virtual meetings, we are well prepared to meet the challenge. Our global network of technical and sectoral specialists, researchers, and managers spans five continents and some of the world’s most challenging and complex contexts.

We took early and decisive action to safeguard our team and maintain our vital work. All our offices are currently compartmentalised and working from home to avoid group exposure. Our business functions are designed for remote working and are operating as normal. I am, as always, deeply proud of how responsible and sensible the Integrity team has been, and how much of a credit they are to Integrity in response to any challenge.

We have issued a clear COVID-19 policy to our staff, consultants and subcontractors. We are monitoring the situation to ensure the right duty of care and programming continuity decisions are being made at the right time for each location and providing clear communications. We are closely following the rules put in place by government in the multiple countries where we work.

All of you reading this message will be personally affected by this virus, directly or indirectly. We recognise and empathise with the strain and burden you are coming under, from the isolation, fear, and uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought to you, your colleagues, your families, and your communities. We all want to learn from this experience. How can we evolve a stronger, more thoughtful and supportive society, more in sync with our natural environment?

Integrity stands shoulder to shoulder in combating this virus through conducting high-quality social research, understanding the lessons, and working together to recover.

As ever,

Anthony Ellis, CEO, 23 March 2020