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SGCB Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

Sopheria Global Certification Board (SGCB) — certification body of the Sopheria Global Institute of Technology (SGIT)

Scientia. Integritas. Futurum.

1. Purpose and Scope

1.1 Purpose

This Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (hereinafter "the Code") sets out the principles and obligations binding upon any person holding a certification issued by the Sopheria Global Certification Board (SGCB), as well as any candidate engaged in a certification process.

The value of an SGCB certification rests on the trust that employers, clients and the public place in the competence and integrity of its holders. The Code is the foundation of that trust.

1.2 Scope

The Code applies:

• to all holders of a certification in the SGCB catalog, regardless of Sopheria Qualification Framework level (SQF 100 Foundation through SQF 500 Executive);
• to all candidates, from the moment they register for an examination and throughout the entire assessment process;
• to any person engaged in a recertification cycle.

Acceptance of the Code is a prerequisite for registration for any SGCB examination and for maintenance of certification. Each candidate signs a declaration of adherence to the Code upon registration.

1.3 Independence of the SGCB

The SGCB is the independent certification body of the SGIT. It is distinct from the Sopheria Global Academy (SGA), the institute's training arm. This separation guarantees the impartiality of certification decisions: no training activity confers any advantage in the assessment process, and SGCB assessors take no part in candidate preparation.

2. Fundamental Principles

Holders and candidates commit to upholding four fundamental principles, translated into concrete obligations in the following sections:

1. Integrity — acting with honesty and probity in all professional activities;
2. Competence — practicing only within the limits of one's qualifications and keeping one's knowledge current;
3. Accountability — accepting responsibility for the consequences of one's professional actions, including in the design and use of artificial intelligence systems;
4. Respect for persons — protecting confidentiality and treating everyone fairly and without discrimination.

3. Integrity

Holders and candidates commit to:

3.1. Providing accurate and complete information to the SGCB, in particular at registration, in the declaration of professional experience and in the declaration of continuing professional development units (Sopheria PDUs).

3.2. Refraining from any form of fraud, cheating, identity fraud or collusion during examinations, and not disclosing, reproducing or commercializing examination content, which remains the exclusive property of the SGCB.

3.3. Representing their certification status faithfully: using titles, codes (for example CASD™ — Certified AI Solutions Developer · Claude Code) and digital badges only during the certification's period of validity, and in accordance with the trademark usage rules published by the SGCB.

3.4. Never claiming to hold a certification, an SQF level or a recognition that the SGCB has not granted them, nor attributing to the SGCB accreditations or affiliations that it does not claim.

3.5. Disclosing any actual or apparent conflict of interest likely to affect their professional judgment, and recusing themselves whenever their impartiality could reasonably be called into question.

3.6. Refraining from any corrupt practice, whether active or passive, and from any improper advantage offered or received in the exercise of their duties.

4. Competence

Holders commit to:

4.1. Accepting only engagements consistent with their qualifications, their experience and the scope of their certification, and clearly informing their clients or employers of the limits of their expertise.

4.2. Maintaining and developing their competencies throughout their certification cycle, in accordance with the SGCB Recertification Policy (document SGCB-GOV-002), notably through the acquisition of continuing professional development units (Sopheria PDUs).

4.3. Basing their professional opinions on verifiable knowledge, the state of the art and reliable data, and clearly distinguishing established facts from opinions or hypotheses.

4.4. Acknowledging their professional errors, correcting them as promptly as possible and informing the affected parties whenever such errors are likely to cause them harm.

5. Accountability in the Use of Artificial Intelligence

SGCB certifications attest to competencies in the field of artificial intelligence. Accordingly, holders bear a particular responsibility:

5.1. Human oversight. The holder remains responsible for deliverables produced with the assistance of AI systems. The holder verifies, validates and takes ownership of the outputs generated by such systems before delivering them or putting them into production.

5.2. Transparency. The holder does not fraudulently attribute AI-generated content to human work where the professional, contractual or regulatory context requires disclosure.

5.3. Safety and reliability. The holder designs, deploys and operates AI systems with due diligence: risk assessment, appropriate testing, control mechanisms, and consideration of the known limitations of models (factual errors, bias, unexpected behavior).

5.4. Fairness and non-maleficence. The holder refrains from knowingly designing or deploying AI systems intended to deceive, manipulate, unlawfully surveil or discriminate against persons, and reports abusive uses of which they become aware in accordance with section 8.

5.5. Compliance. The holder complies with the laws and regulations applicable to AI systems in the jurisdictions in which they practice, as well as with the terms of use of the third-party technologies they employ.

5.6. Third-party technologies. Where a certification relates to a third-party technology — for example the CASD™ certification (Certified AI Solutions Developer · Claude Code), relating to Claude, a technology developed by Anthropic — the holder respects the intellectual property rights and usage policies of the vendor concerned. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic; the SGCB is an independent body, not affiliated with Anthropic, and the certification implies no endorsement by the vendor.

6. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Holders commit to:

6.1. Protecting the confidentiality of information obtained in the course of their professional activities, and using it neither for personal gain nor for the benefit of unauthorized third parties.

6.2. Processing personal data in accordance with applicable regulations (in particular data protection regulations), applying the principles of data minimization, purpose limitation and security.

6.3. Exercising particular vigilance when using AI systems: not submitting confidential, personal or professionally privileged data to third-party services without an appropriate legal basis and authorization.

6.4. Maintaining these confidentiality obligations after the end of the engagement or contractual relationship concerned.

7. Non-Discrimination and Respect for Persons

Holders commit to:

7.1. Treating every person — colleague, client, candidate, user — with respect, fairness and professionalism, without discrimination based on, among other grounds, origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, opinion or any other characteristic protected by law.

7.2. Refraining from any harassment, intimidation or abusive behavior in a professional context, including online.

7.3. Taking into account, in the design and evaluation of AI systems, the risks of bias and discriminatory effects, and working toward their detection and mitigation.

8. Duty to Report

8.1. Any holder or candidate who becomes aware of a violation of this Code — examination fraud, false declaration, fraudulent use of an SGCB title, serious breach of the Code's principles — is obligated to report it to the SGCB within a reasonable time.

8.2. Reports are addressed to the SGCB Ethics Committee via the dedicated channel published on the institute's website. They are handled confidentially.

8.3. The SGCB guarantees that no retaliatory measure will be taken against a person who makes a report in good faith. Protection of the reporter is an inviolable principle of the system.

8.4. A report that is knowingly false or made with intent to harm constitutes in itself a violation of the Code.

8.5. The holder informs the SGCB, within sixty (60) days, of any final criminal conviction or professional sanction directly related to their certified activity.

9. Disciplinary Procedure

9.1 Ethics Committee

The SGCB Ethics Committee is the body competent to investigate breaches of the Code. It is composed of members independent of the SGA's training activities and of the persons under investigation. Any member with a conflict of interest recuses themselves.

9.2 Conduct of the Procedure

1. Admissibility. The Committee reviews each report and dismisses, by reasoned decision, reports that are manifestly unfounded or out of scope.
2. Investigation. The Committee gathers the evidence, hears the parties where necessary, and notifies the person under investigation in writing of the facts alleged against them.
3. Rights of defense. The person under investigation has thirty (30) days to submit written observations and, upon request, to be heard. They may be assisted.
4. Decision. The Committee rules by majority vote, in a written and reasoned decision, notified to the person concerned.

9.3 Sanctions

Depending on the severity, recurrence and circumstances of the breach, the Committee may impose:

Suspension and revocation trigger immediate updates to the public certification verification register. In cases of examination fraud, the results concerned are invalidated as of right.

9.4 Appeals

A sanctioned person may lodge a written and reasoned appeal with the SGCB Appeals Commission within thirty (30) days of notification. The Appeals Commission is composed of members who did not take part in the initial decision. Its decision is final within the institute. The appeal does not suspend the sanction, unless the Commission decides otherwise.

9.5 Interim Measures

In the event of a serious and credible breach presenting an immediate risk to third parties or to the integrity of the certification system, the Chair of the Ethics Committee may suspend the certification as an interim measure, for a maximum of ninety (90) days, pending the decision on the merits.

10. Final Provisions

10.1. This Code is adopted and revised by the SGCB Governance Council. Any revision is published with at least ninety (90) days' notice before it enters into force.

10.2. In the event of any discrepancy between language versions of the Code, the version published by the SGCB as the version of reference prevails.

10.3. The Code is supplemented by the Recertification Policy (SGCB-GOV-002) and the SGCB title and badge usage rules. In the event of conflict, the most recent document adopted by the Governance Council prevails.

Sopheria Global Certification Board — independent certification body of the Sopheria Global Institute of Technology. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic. The SGCB is an independent body, not affiliated with Anthropic.