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International Public Relations Association

The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) is the world's only truly international public relations professional organization, with 1,000 professional members in 87 countries and with 89 countries identified as members of the global professional organization. Student memberships were also recently made available, and more than 200 students were identified with the organization in the 2003–2004 membership year directory as individuals interested in international public relations practitioner performance. A collegiate membership is also available for educators.

Fifteen world congresses have been hosted every three years since 1958 by the global association in major cities on six continents. In addition, the IPRA Council, which currently has global representation from 58 countries in its 77 elected members, has met annually since 1955 in 49 different cities of the world on seven continents. Council meetings are normally held in conjunction with jointly sponsored IPRA public relations conferences hosted by a country's national public relations association or with a country's annual national convention. IPRA has also hosted a number of international educator congresses, usually in association with its own congresses. The outreach of the association, therefore, has truly been worldwide in educational impact for both professionals and educators.

In addition to providing networking and the sharing of information through conferences and meetings, IPRA has become significant to the global profession by providing global awards, the identification of universal ethical standards, recognition to groups that have advanced world understanding, publications on key professional and societal issues, and a consultancy role with the United Nations. An explanation of each of these programs follows.

Golden World Awards for Excellence

In 1990 IPRA initiated a program to recognize excellence in public relations practice with the creation of the annual IPRA Golden World Awards for Excellence. The awards program has increased in prestige annually, and today international public relations firms, corporations, associations, health organizations, chambers of commerce and other business groups, and governmental agencies are increasingly vying for recognition in this competition.

Global Standards for Ethical Performance

The pioneers within IPRA adopted the first code of conduct for global practitioners in Venice in 1961. The elements of the code were patterned after the code identified by the Public Relations Society of America for its members in 1950. In 1965, Lucien Matrat of France authored an international code of ethics that was adopted in Athens, Greece, by the IPRA General Assembly; it tied requirements for member practitioner professional and personal behaviors to the United Nation's Declaration of Human Rights. In particular, the code requires that members shall refrain from (a) subordinating truth to other requirements, (b) circulating information that is not based on established and ascertainable facts, (c) taking part in professional activities damaging to human dignity or integrity, and (d) the use of subconscious approaches designed to manipulate the public without its awareness.

Concerns about environmental communication in 1991 resulted in a declaration that was approved in Nairobi under the IPRA chairmanship of Charles van der Straten Wallet of Belgium. This code addresses practitioner responsibility to ensure the information and counsel they provide protects the environment, binding participants to environmental codes of practice adopted by the United Nations and the International Chamber of Commerce.

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