SACH Closed Sessions Protocol
These Rules create a protected, candid environment for closed briefings, retreats, roundtables, and other off-the-record events convened by the SACH Institute. They balance the need for frank exchange with legal, ethical and security responsibilities in the Pakistan context.
Rule 1: Use of Information
Participants are free to use the information, ideas, and arguments presented during the session in their own work and analysis. Participants must not reveal the identity or affiliation of any speaker or participant, nor attribute remarks (directly or indirectly) to any identifiable individual, institution, government, or organization.
Rule 2: Prohibition on Attribution and Identification
No statement, paraphrase, or summary may identify a speaker or other participant by name, post, rank, or institutional affiliation. If reference to a source is necessary in subsequent work, it must be anonymized (for example, “a senior regional diplomat” or “a civil society representative”).
Rule 3: No Recordings Without Explicit Permission
Audio, video, photographic recording, and live reporting are prohibited unless the SACH Institute and the meeting’s convenors grant explicit, prior written permission. Electronic note-taking for personal reference is permitted; distribution of notes beyond permitted channels requires anonymization consistent with Rule 2.
Rule 4: Limited Exceptions
These Rules do not apply where disclosure is:
a) required by applicable law, valid court order, or lawful summons;
b) necessary to prevent imminent harm to a person or to report a credible allegation of criminal activity (in which case the disclosing participant must inform the convenor as soon as practicable); or
c) otherwise required by an individual’s professional duty (for example, safeguarding or mandatory reporting obligations). If disclosure under an exception is contemplated, the participant should first consult the SACH Institute’s designated legal or compliance contact where possible.
Rule 5: Digital and Data Security
Meeting materials marked “SACH Institute — Closed” must be handled as confidential. Participants should avoid forwarding such material to external parties. When feasible, the Institute will use secure distribution channels (encrypted email, password-protected files). Participants are expected to follow reasonable guidance on device security while attending.
Rule 6: Media and Social Media Guidance
Participants must not post identifiable details about the meeting, participants, or speakers on social media (including images that would identify attendees) unless the convenors have explicitly authorized public messaging. If a participant wishes to publish derived analysis, it must follow anonymization (Rule 2) and, for particularly sensitive content, consult the convenor prior to publication.
Rule 7: Enforcement and Remedies
Breach of these Rules may result in one or more of the following, at the Institute’s discretion: formal notice to the participant’s employing institution, removal from the current session, exclusion from future SACH Institute events, and referral to legal authorities where appropriate.
Rule 8: Consent
By attending or accessing meeting materials, participants acknowledge they have read, understood, and agreed to abide by these Rules. The Institute will provide a contact for questions and incident reporting.
Rule 9: Applicability
These Rules apply to all participants, guests, staff, facilitators, and consultants at SACH Institute closed events and to pre- and post-event communications and materials that are marked confidential.
Rule 10 — Review
The SACH Institute will review these Rules periodically and may update them to reflect changing legal, security, or policy considerations. The current version and contact details will be included in each event pack.