Industrial Gender Committee on Advertising (IGCA)

Professional associations of advertisers and marketers that have adopted gender non-discriminatory advertising standards will create the Industrial Gender Committee on Advertising (IGCA) to promote these Standards in advertising and marketing practices and to monitor meeting gender non-discriminatory standards by professional associations. 

 IGCA Composition: 
• The IGCA Chairman is elected by the majority of professional associations’ representatives present at the meeting devoted to considering each particular case
• The meeting is considered to be legitimate, if not less than three IGCA members, representing not less than 3 professional organizations / associations are present. 2 representatives of gender organizations, chosen from amongst those that have signed the Standards, should be invited to the meeting. Representatives of gender organizations have full voting rights.

Work of the Industrial Gender Committee on Advertising on the Observance of Standards (IGCA) 
• IGCA gathers to deal with complaints, and suggestions which are already planned, notifying members of the IGCA no later than two weeks before the meeting.
• Place of assembly is chosen by the IGCA Secretariat.
• A Secretary is appointed for the assembly, whose candidacy is submitted by the IGCA Chairman and approved by IGCA members.

The procedure for considering appeals to IGCA, transparency, confidentiality and feedback 
• IGCA will consider appeals, complaints, suggestions from professional organizations / associations, companies, clients, customers, partners, NGOs or individuals regarding the content of advertising and marketing products, including cases of possible violations of the Standards for gender non-discriminatory advertising, offers to improve the quality of advertising and marketing products that are submitted to the Secretariat. All appeals to the Secretariat are registered in the Register of appeals to IGCA.
• Applications, complaints, proposals should be submitted in writing in the official language, while other languages of submission are not in themselves grounds to deny registration, and should include the description of the case and all necessary documents (photos, videos, testimonials, copies of texts, other possible evidence).
• Registered appeals, complaints, suggestions are presented and considered at the IGCA meeting. If IGCA members have personal interest / relevance to the matter of appeals, complaints, suggestions or any relations with those who address IGCA, which may affect the ability of IGCA act objectively, they should inform IGCA about the circumstances and refuse to participate in the consideration of these appeals, complaints, and suggestions.
• IGCA offers / assigns testing or examination of the facts and circumstances of the case by any means that IGCA considers relevant for the case.
• Tools that can be used by IGCA include but are not limited to: study of advertising and marketing products using materials of legal and regulatory support, social and gender-sensitive indicators of emotional and linguistic impact of products on stakeholders, interviews of producers of advertising and marketing products, survey among other consumers, partners and others. Results should be presented at a meeting of IGCA.
• IGCA makes decisions on submitted appeals, complaints, suggestions and in writing informs those who applied within the next quarter after the IGCA meeting where the appeal was considered.
• If necessary, IGCA can attract additional / enhanced expert support.
• In case, when for the settlement of the compliant or dispute IGCA is provided with sufficient evidence to make a decision against the producer of the advertising or marketing product, that gender non-discriminatory advertising standards have been violated IGCA adopts the decision and notify the plaintiff and defendant on the conclusions of IGCA in writing.
• IGCA will offer the defendant an opportunity to provide a written response on the IGCA decision within twenty-eight calendar days, after receiving the feedback IGCA decides on further actions.
• When dealing with complex cases that require in-depth research and application of disciplinary sanctions, the case will be referred to the Disciplinary Committee on the Observance of Standards of gender non-discriminatory advertising (DCS) (see .4.2.3. of the Standards). IGCA shall notify the plaintiff and defendant that the case has been redirected to the Disciplinary Commission.
• IGCA must inform professional associations on the activities of IGCA quarterly (through informational messages) and annually (via an annual report at the annual conference).
• IGCA will not describe the whole content of appeals, complaints or suggestions in the information messages, reports, electronic resources, but professional associations, companies, customers, partners, community organizations will receive information about the subject of appeals, complaints, suggestions, IGCA consideration procedures, and the final decision of IGCA within the next quarter after the IGCA meeting, where the appeal for possible confidential consideration of appeals, complaints, suggestions was addressed.
• IGCA may provide decisions and conclusions of meetings on request, upon demand of judicial authorities, acting under statutory and common law, state authorities, national associations and national self-regulatory organization on the interpretation of the Standards.