Business Conduct

KPO Business Principles

KPO conducts its business based on KPO Business Principles, which were introduced in 2019 and signed by all members of the KPO Board of Directors. Prior to that, Business Principles were the part of the Code of Conduct.

Our Business Principles govern how we conduct our business and set high standards of performance and ethical behaviour. We also expect all of our stakeholders, including contractors and suppliers, to respect and adhere to these Business Principles.

Fig. 8.KPO Business Principles cover seven main categories:

The full text of the KPO Business Principles and a short video are available on our website in Business Ethics section.

Code of Conduct

The KPO Code of Conduct is a fundamental compliance document aimed to protect the activities and reputation of the Company and its employees. The Code of Conduct is a system of business ethics and corporate culture general rules at KPO, required of all KPO employees, contractors’ employees and other persons working on behalf of KPO, without distinction or exception.

The Code of Conduct includes provisions on respecting the principles of free enterprise and fair competition, protecting human rights and the Company assets, providing equal opportunities, zero-tolerance for corruption and legitimization of proceeds of crime (money laundering), any harassment at work, and also regulates some aspects of national and international trade, labour protection, safety and environmental protection, protection and exchange of information, including personal data.

The full text of the KPO Code of Conduct is available on our website in Business Ethics section.

Human Rights

Grounded in the principles proclaimed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the core conventions of the International Labor Organization, KPO is committed to respecting human rights and complying with applicable laws and regulations in the line of its duty. Moreover, these norms are spelled out in the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan (RoK), in the Labor Code of the RoK, in the Code of the RoK “On the health of the people and the healthcare system”, the Law of the RoK “On civil protection”, in the Environmental Code of the RoK and in relevant regulations.

The observance of human rights is a prerequisite of our “license to operate”. Our activities are based on respect for human rights of our stakeholders starting from our employees, contractors, local communities and local authorities. Following these goals, at KPO we regularly engage with our external stakeholders and always strive to contribute, both directly and indirectly, to the general wellbeing of the communities in which we operate.

Human rights issues are an integral part of the Company’s internal regulations describing compliance with requirements in terms of social contribution, safety, human resources. For this reason, human rights requirements are embedded in the Code of Conduct and in KPO existing framework, manuals and policies. These include:

• Social performance – we have social performance plans and address the social impacts of our operations on local communities.
• Security – company-wide security requirements help keep staff, contractors and facilities safe in a way that respects human rights and the security of local communities.
• Human resources – our policies and standards help us establish fair labour practices, ethical labour relations, a positive work environment and conditions.
• Contracting and procurement – we seek to work with contractors and suppliers, who contribute to sustainable development and are economically, environmentally and socially responsible.

As part of the overall KPO Compliance Framework, KPO has adopted and successfully implemented the new Ethics and Compliance Training Programme, which addresses major points of the principles and commitments listed above.

KPO has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and child labour is committed to identifying and minimizing so far as possible the risk of child labour, slavery and human trafficking occurring in its supply chains and in all areas of its business.

In 2023, there were no cases of child labor and human trafficking in KPO and its contractors.