Beyond Europe

The original aim of the Meta-code was to provide support for ethical practice by European psychologists: This was new territory as the degree of specificity needed was unknown, but a high level would seriously limit its practical­ity. In the event, the Meta-code has been highly successful in providing a generic, pan-European code with high general-izability. The question that arises therefore concerns the via­bility of a universal Meta-code.

This has been addressed through a joint initiative by the International Union of Psychological Science, the Interna­tional Association of Applied Psychology, and the Interna­tional Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology. Initiated in 2002, an ad hoc committee chaired by Janel Gauthier (Canada) produced the Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists, approved by the three associa­tions in 2008 (http://www.sipsych.org/englislvUniversal %20Declaration%20as%20ADOPTED%20by%20IUPsyS% 20&%20IAAP%20July%202008.pdf). The Universal Decla­ration, like the Meta-code, also provides guidance for the content of ethical codes. It comprises four principles, which differ from the Meta-code: (1). Respect for the dignity of per­sons and peoples, (2). Competent caring for the well-being of persons and peoples, (3). Integrity, and (4). Professional and scientific responsibility to society. In common with the Meta-code its style is that of statements to guide local codes but it differs in some respects. The references to "persons and peoples" reflect the importance of addressing national, ethnic, and cultural subgroups. Also, each is explicated at greater length and then followed by a set of values rather than specifications. For example. Principle 1 includes the values "respect for the unique worth and inherent dignity of all human beings" and ''free and informed consent, as culturally defined and relevant for individuals, families, groups, and communities." Hence the Universal Declaration has a strong, pervasive theme of respecting cultural variation.

Work over recent years has sought to use the Meta-code, Universal Declaration, and the strength of the APA's code and experience to support developments across Europe, and other parts of the world. Their complementarity has been a strength in this endeavor that has included, for example, capacity building in South East Europe (Gauthier, Lindsay, Korkut,' & Behnke, 2009).

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