SOC IN BRIEF

Stars Orbit Consultants and Management Development (SOC) is a private consulting firm that prides itself for working with UN and global agencies, governmental entities, NGOs and civil society organizations. SOC provides operational and technical support in several fields including: Projects monitoring, evaluation and assessment; Conducting end-line and baseline surveys; Research, data collection and analysis; as well as Assistance in project management, logistics, and human resources.

100

Professionalism

Years in business

400

Projects

2500

Experts

SOC Mission & Vision

SOC was established in 2007, with a core mission of providing expert consulting services, high-quality assistance, research and data, and the most appropriate solutions to assist different stakeholders, particularly UN agencies, international organizations, and the nonprofit sector at large in successfully implementing their projects and programmes, and achieving their desired goals.

Our Policies & Ethical Guidelines

When working in conflict settings and environments that are sensitive politically, it is critical to apply the highest degrees of professionalism, compassion, and impartiality. Thanks to our experience and lessons learnt and shared with our partners, SOC has developed a set of ethical guidelines that governs its work. These guidelines have earned us an internationally renowned reputation that we are proud of, and a growing local and regional trust from different stakeholders, including the population in question.

Through those strict guidelines, we do not only guarantee the highest professional standards, accuracy, and inclusiveness, we also aim to allow our partners and collaborators to make the best of the process itself, whether a research, a project assessment, or an event.Our ethical guidelines are critical when carrying out activities targeting vulnerable groups and sensitive issues, as well as when working in post conflict and development related contexts. These guidelines highly consider safety, sustainability, and long term impact. They are essential to our operations, and constitute the core of our values.

SOC Risk Management Procedures

Strict guidelines and contextual understanding have a special significance for institutions operating in conflict zones and politically sensitive environments. Such considerations are critical to creating a safe and ideal working environment, and make sure that security aspects are taken into account when planning/implementing any type of activity on the field. To this end, SOC has put in place Risk Management Procedures involving several components.

Do No Harm (DNH) Policy

Working in complex and sensitive environments requires a high level of cultural and political awareness, as well as special approaches to implement any activities and achieve the desired goals while avoiding or limiting any negative impacts in the process.

In this context, SOC developed strict guidelines known as “Do No Harm” (DNH) policies to protect all the parties involved. Those policies guarantee confidentiality, consent, and responsibility, and minimize any potential risks that may result from the data collection and analysis process, as well as the harm inadvertently caused throughout field activities on participants, researchers, and stakeholders. SOC considers that the application of the DNH policies is a minimum obligation for any implementation in a conflict context in which it consciously looks for and seeks to avoid or mitigate adverse impacts.