ISO 37002 Whistleblowing management systems - Guidelines

ISO 37002:2021 has been in development by a team of global experts for four years and was published on 27 July 2021.

Whistleblowing is the act of reporting suspected wrongdoing or risk of wrongdoing. Effective whistleblowing programmes protect organisations globally from the financial and reputational damage that these risks could cause if gone undetected. Based on the principles of Trust, Impartiality and Protection, this standard will help organizations of any size or type, whether in the public, private or not-for-profit sector:

• identify and address wrongdoing at the earliest opportunity;
• increase return on assets;
• ensure compliance with organizational policies, procedures, and legal and social obligations;
• attract and retain personnel committed to the organization’s values and culture;
• demonstrate sound, ethical governance practices to society, markets, regulators, owners and other interested parties.

Scope of the standard

ISO 37002 provides guidelines for implementing, managing, evaluating, maintaining and improving a robust and effective management system within an organization for whistleblowing.

This International Standard is non-sector specific and can be used by organizations of all sizes, including SMEs, and those with international operations. It will be applicable to all organizations in the public, private, and voluntary sectors.

The standard is based on the following three principles:

1) Trust

2) Impartiality

3) Protection

and will guide organizations in managing:

• How concerns of wrongdoing are reported.

• How concerns of wrongdoing are assessed.

• How concerns of wrongdoing are addressed.

• How whistleblowing cases are closed.

Find out more

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - or download PDF
• Wim Vandekerckhove, who led the project, provides some insight and an expert from Indonesia welcomes the new standard
• The Introduction, Scope and Terms for ISO 37002 can be previewed on the ISO website
• It can be purchased from your national ISO member or the ISO Store.