Institutional Charter

1. Purpose

This charter sets out the purpose, mission, positioning, scope, boundaries, operating principles and governance of 1Cert.org. It is the reference document against which all other institutional publications and public representations are tested for consistency.

2. Mission and Vision

Vision. To be the global standard for verification.

Mission. To empower global trust and transparency through verified credentials and reliable due diligence.

1Cert.org pursues this mission through two functions operating under one institutional framework: a global trust registry, and a KYC and due diligence service.

3. Positioning and Standing

1Cert.org is the global reference point for verified credentials: one registry, a traceable recognition chain, verifiable trust. It is a private institution operating a recognition framework and a registry of participating entities and the credentials they hold.

1Cert.org is not a government agency, a regulator, a statutory body, a court, or a law-enforcement authority. It is not the issuer of every credential that appears in the registry, and it does not issue the underlying professional, legal or regulatory credentials granted by other authorities. It is not government endorsed, and does not describe itself using unsupported superlatives such as "the world's number one" or "the highest authority".

4. Scope of Activities

1Cert.org's activities fall into two functions:

• Trust Registry. 1Cert.org records, recognises, verifies, registers, publishes, maintains and monitors credential records, and accredits issuers only where a formal published framework supports that term.
• KYC and Due Diligence. 1Cert.org assesses and corroborates information relevant to the identity, ownership, and risk profile of entities that organisations need to evaluate before conducting business.

5. Data and Methodology Standards

Registry publication and due diligence work are conducted in accordance with the standards published in the standards catalogue, including the Standard for Registry Record Publication, the Standard for Credential Status Definitions, and the Standard for Recognition Chain Disclosure. Standards are developed and reviewed through the process described on the standards development process page.

6. Boundaries

A verification result confirms status against a recorded source. It does not guarantee the future conduct of the entity. A due diligence result reports assessed risk, not guilt. In both cases, the relying party remains responsible for its own compliance and acceptance decision.

1Cert.org does not represent itself as accredited, certified or approved by any external standards body unless documentary evidence of that relationship is published alongside the claim.

7. Operating Principles

1Cert.org's work is governed by four operating principles, set out in full on the operating principles page:

• Neutrality. 1Cert.org serves all parties without favour.
• Accuracy. Accuracy is not subordinated to speed or reach.
• Corroboration. Conclusions rest on corroborated evidence.
• Defensibility. Outputs are prepared for reliance by compliance, audit and legal functions.

8. Governance

1Cert.org is governed through four functions — a Board of Directors, a Standards and Integrity function, a Recognition Authority function, and Operating Leadership — set out in full on the governance page. This structure is designed to keep standards-setting, recognition decisions and day-to-day operations subject to independent oversight rather than concentrated in a single function.

9. Data, Security and Compliance

Information handled in the course of registry and due diligence work is subject to the practices set out on the data and security page and the privacy notice. Sensitive case material is not accepted through unsecured public channels.

10. Amendment

This charter may be amended by the Board of Directors on the recommendation of the Standards and Integrity function. A material amendment is preceded by a consultation period consistent with the standards development process. The version history of this charter is recorded in the document metadata shown above.