The 34th IUPAP General Assembly held in October 2025 approved the transformation of IUPAP WG18 on Ethics into a Standing Committee (under VP at Large) on Ethics and Collegiality. This SC is chaired by the Vice-President at Large for Ethics and Collegiality. 

The Mission/Mandate of WG18 was:

• To survey international ethics standards across societies, journals, and funding agencies, including hiring practices.
• To consider these accumulated data to develop a set of international ethics standards.

WG18 fulfilled its mandate and produced a document.

Further developments and new Mission/Mandate

Ethics is a cross-cutting very important area that deals with a number of critical issues. The SC on DEI would be best suited to address issues of bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment. The SC on Ethics and Colegiality should look at various other standing and emerging issues beyond “research integrity” (i.e. conducting rigorous, reproducible research). These include: 

• Academia-industry relationships and associated conflicts of interest
• Academia-military relationships and associated conflicts of interest
• Policy statements on critical matters of a technical nature
• Statements on issues with political implications.

These are not temporary issues; they evolve and can become critical, significantly impacting policy, decision-makers, physics-related bodies and local physics communities.

Challenges must be addressed with determination by effectively tackling issues when they arise, allowing for open speech while avoiding disruption, harassment, and threats. The SC on Ethics and Collegiality should support IUPAP in effectively addressing these issues as they arise. 

The 34th IUPAP GA charged the VP at-Large on Ethics and Collegiality with submitting a proposal in 2026 for the consideration of the EC containing a renovated Mission/Mandate for the SC and, if necessary, a renewed composition.