Governments around the world have recognized the important role that simple and easily accessible vaccine certificates can play in stopping the spread of COVID-19.

The global pandemic has created the need for health information regarding vaccination that protects everyone when in public places. Around the world, paper and electronic vaccination certificates have been developed, allowing people to continue travel, enjoy restaurants, coffee houses, and the theatres – among other important services.

When the Government of Ukraine (GoU) started providing COVID-19 vaccinations, they began where most governments did – with paper-based vaccination certificates. Later, the GoU saw a need to develop digital vaccination certificates that would be fraud-protected and could be easily used by citizens in situations where vaccination status needs to be checked. The team from the Support to Ukraine’s Reforms for Governance (SURGe) project were already working with the Government to build an electronic health system, one that would ensure that the health information that Ukrainians have with their doctor is well managed, secure, and in electronic format, helping to avoid lost information. In March 2021, the SURGe team began expanding the IT system to ensure that COVID-19 vaccination information could also be included. The team implemented an IT module that would ensure a secure roll out of paper-based, WHO-compliant COVID-19 vaccination certificates. Working in cooperation with other technical projects in Ukraine, SURGe lead the work that ensured accurate electronic records of vaccination – which was an essential step in being able to create digital versions of COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

Ukraine became one of the first non-EU member states to receive recognition and join the Digital COVID-19 Certificate system. Of course, the next priority for the GoU was to ensure that digital vaccination certificates were available to citizens. Once again, the Government requested support for the development of an IT framework, allowing the GoU to manage vaccination data, citizens to access their vaccination certificates quickly and easily, and businesses to check these certificates quickly and safely.

The SURGe team focused their work on 3 main areas of improvement:

Technical Support in implementing Ukraine’s COVID-19 certificates as per requirements of European Union (EU) Digital Green Certificates (DGC). If Ukrainians are to enjoy travel to the EU for both business and pleasure, the GoU recognized that the digital vaccination certificates would have to be compliant with EU regulations. This meant that Ukraine had to implement EU standard for DGCs within the Ukraine digital certificates. SURGe worked hand-in-hand with the EU colleagues adjusting Ukrainian requirements to ensure they met EU specifications, and continuing adjustments as the DGCs evolved.
Development of the COVID vaccination module in the digital health records (eHealth). In order to ensure that the eHealth records would be well organized and secure, SURGe supported the Ministry of Health (MoH), ensuring integration and compliance with EU and eHealth technical and legal requirements. SURGe lead in the set-up of the infrastructure, reviewed code, tested and launched the digital certificates in the eHealth system.
Ensuring connectivity between eHealth and other digital records in the Ukrainian system. In close cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, SURGe structured and led the development and technical launch of the eHealth module required to generate vaccination certificates.

As of July 2021, every vaccinated Ukrainian was eligible for an e-certificate and all vaccinations were tracked in the digital system. Since then, over one million vaccination certificates have been generated by Ukrainians in the system and citizens have remarked on the ease of presenting a vaccination certificate – both internationally and at home in Ukraine.

alinea’s whistleblower policy

1.1 Purpose

The following Whistleblower Policy has been established to provide guidance to Alinea International employees and sub-contractors on how to deal with known or suspected improper conduct within the organization. The objectives of this Policy are to:

Create awareness of the Policy and available whistleblower protections
Act as a reference guide to potential whistleblowers wishing to make a disclosure
Define the structure of the whistleblower system, including reporting and investigation procedures, whistleblower protections, and confidentiality, among others
Improve the communication and transparency in the processes associated with whistleblowing and assure protection against derogatory consequences, namely reprisals and detrimental action
Complement the current communication channels between employees, sub-contractors and immediate managers, and hierarchical channels flowing to the President and Senior Management team
Provide guidance to all parties involved in either whistleblowing or whistleblower protection.

1.2 Scope

Alinea requires all employees and sub-contractors to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. All employees and sub-contractors of Alinea are required to comply with applicable laws and regulations of Canada and the countries where we operate. Any allegations of known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources will be dealt with in accordance with this Policy, and reasonable steps will be taken to protect those who come forward with allegations. Alinea’s Whistleblower Policy covers both internal and external whistleblowing, and establishes the controls and procedures for dealing with allegations of malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is intended to encourage employees and sub-contractors to report known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources and to enable Alinea’s Senior Management team to address and correct inappropriate action. It is the responsibility of all Board of Directors’ members, the Senior Management team, employees and sub-contractors to report concerns about known or suspected malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is applicable to all employees and sub-contractors of Alinea International.

1.3 Reporting Procedures

Alinea recognizes the value of transparency and accountability in its administrative and management practices and supports the making of disclosures that reveal improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. Our internal controls and operating procedures are intended to detect and prevent malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. As detailed in Alinea’s Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals, employees and sub-contractors are encouraged to share complaints and/or concerns regarding ethical or legal violations with their immediate managers. If the employee or sub-contractor is not comfortable speaking with their immediate manager or is not satisfied with the response, they are encouraged to speak with the Gatineau or Calgary Office Managers, the Vice Presidents or, as required, the Chief Financial Officer. All members of the Senior Management team are required to report complaints and/or concerns about suspected ethical or legal violations in writing to Alinea’s Ethics Committee who has the responsibility to investigate all reported complaints and/or concerns. In the event that the complaint and/or concern is about the President, it should be raised by the employee or sub-contractor to their immediate manager or the Ethics Committee who will determine how the investigation will proceed. All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective measures will be taken if warranted by the investigation. Alinea’s Ethics Committee is responsible for acknowledging receipt of the suspected violation and notifying the whistleblower of the outcome of the investigation. Anyone filing a written complaint concerning suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation. Personal grievances or complaints related to employment are not covered under Alinea’s Whistleblowing Policy. For cases such as this, employees and sub-contractors are advised to first refer to Alineas Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals when considering a disclosure under the Whistleblowing Policy. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.

1.4 Confidentiality

Maintaining confidentiality is crucial to ensure reprisals are not made against the whistleblower. Alinea is committed to safeguarding the identity of the whistleblower and to protecting the whistleblower against detrimental action taken in reprisal for allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. The Ethics Committee is responsible for ensuring whistleblowers are protected from direct and indirect detrimental action, and that the culture of the workplace is supportive of suspected allegations being made. Any employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.

1.5 Review

Alinea is committed to implementing ‘best practice’ policies and procedures for dealing with allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources (as defined by this Policy) and the management and protection of whistleblowers making allegation(s). This Policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure it meets the objectives of relevant legislation and remains effective for Alinea, and may be changed at the discretion of the Board of Directors at any time. For allegations of fraud, securities law, or human rights concerns, or when you are not satisfied or uncomfortable with following the Company’s open door policy, individuals should contact the Company’s Ethics Committee directly.

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Vaccine Certificates at Your Fingertips: Improving Electronic Health Records for Pandemic Management

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