The Helsinki Charter
Representatives of the public relations associations
IPRA - International Public Relations Association
CERP - Confédération Européenne des Relations Publiques
ICO - International Committee of Public Relations Consultancies Associations
assembled at the 1997 Public Relations World Congress in Helsinki have agreed the following charter on quality and quality development for the profession of public relations:
l. Quality in public relations can be defined and evaluated as the totality of features and characteristics of public relations services that bear on their ability to satisfy stated or implied needs in accordance with accepted professional standards.
2. As a profession public relations must be characterised by a common body of knowledge, academic studies, research, ethical rules and performance control. These characteristics are complementary to each other and form the cornerstones of quality as a concept for the profession.
3. Every public relations professional - public relations officers and consultants as well as teachers, researchers and students - must acknowledge the quality standards set for the profession by society, clients and professionals. Consequently, all individual practitioners as well as consultants should endeavour to obtain quality certification and to apply systems for continuous standard evaluation, performance control and quality improvement.
4. To achieve this, the undersigned associations have initiated a joint venture in the field of quality undertaken by IQPR, the International Institute for Quality in Public Relations.
5. By signing this document the three associations endorse and adopt the minimum standards for quality in public relations as defined and published by IQPR. These standards will be continuously updated and should be adhered to by all public relations practitioners as the basic quality concept of the profession.
6. This charter is an extension of the cooperation between the international associations in the field of public relations, originating from the joint approval of the Code of Athens in l96l and the mutual efforts to establish educational guidelines for public relations practice during the l980s.
7. All existing codes and declarations, adopted by IPRA, CERP and ICO and serving as guidelines for public relations practitioners in professional practice and for the development of the profession - including The Code of Athens, The Codes of Venice/Lisbon and The Rome Charter - will remain in force.
Helsinki, 18 June 1997
President of IPRA
President of CERP
President of ICO
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