In its Staff Regulation and Rules WMO has comprehensive provisions to deal with various forms of prohibited conduct such as sexual harassment and others. The purpose of this protocol is to lay out and clarify for staff, Management, and other interested parties (such as e.g. non-staff personnel and contractors), the definitions, responsibilities, and actions to take in cases of such conduct. Building on the existing framework of regulations and rules, this protocol aims to create a common understanding of issues of ethical behavior and to reinforce the requirement among staff and concerned non-staff of displaying the highest standard of ethics in the conduct of their responsibilities.