Privacy Notice

About this Privacy Notice

At MSF we make sure we protect the information you give us. References to “we” or “us” are to Médecins Sans Frontières International, 78 rue de Lausanne. Case Postale 10161211 Geneva 1. Switzerland.

This privacy notice is written in accordance with relevant data protection legislation including the Swiss regulation on data protection. 

This privacy notice sets out how MSF collects, uses and stores personal data via its websites: https://unicat.msf.org

If you’ve any questions please contact our Data Protection Office at  IPCO.IO@geneva.msf.org

When do we collect information about you?

We collect information:

  • when you use our website, through cookies
  • when you contact us on  unicat@msf.org

COOKIES
We use “cookies” to identify you when you visit our website.

What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are transferred from the website to your computer, phone or tablet. Websites store cookies on your internet browser (Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer, for example) when you visit. Every time you return to the site and navigate around it picks up these bits of information. There are several types of cookie and they each have different functions and uses. Some cookies can be really helpful and most websites rely on them in order to work properly and to understand what their users do when they visit.

Types of cookies
The four categories, from the least to the most intrusive, are:

  1. Strictly necessary. These cookies let you move around the website and use areas like e-news sign up. They don't gather information about you that could be used for marketing or remember where you've been on the internet. These cookies only last until you close your browser. 
  2. Performance. These cookies help us understand how you use our website and if users have had any problems. They also let us know if you see one of our adverts online or click on our banners. The information they gather is anonymous. We only use the information to improve the way the Website works. 
  3. Functionality. These cookies remember any choices you've made on a website. This could be changing the text size, preferences or colour. They can also remember if you've already completed a survey. They can’t track you on other websites.
  4. Targeting. These cookies collect info for third parties and remember what you looked at on a website. They’re used for things including ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ buttons, as well as online advertising. Do you see ads for things you've looked at online appear on random websites? It's because of targeting cookies. 

Cookies for web statistics

Statistics concerning this website are recorded using Google Analytics. This website analysis service, provided by Google Inc., is one of the most used.

We do not use this data to reveal your identity, but purely to analyse your visit to our website; for example, what are the most visited pages, what browsers are used by our visitors, and how long was their visit?

The statistics gathered through Google Analytics can help us improve our website. We would like to request your consent to use cookies.

The information generated is transmitted to and stored by Google on its servers in the United States. Google retains this information for the purpose of remembering how the website is used, compiling reports on the website's activity for the site's operators, and providing other services relating to website activity and Internet use. Google may transmit this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.

How to disable cookies

Disabling cookies only concerns the computer and browser used to disable them. If you use several computers and browsers, you must therefore carry out the same process on each computer and browser. For more detailed information on enabling, disabling and deleting cookies please refer to your browser's help section.

How do we use your information?

As a general rule, your personal data will not be used for any other purpose than those for which they were voluntarily provided to us. Your personal data are shared or transferred to third parties if such sharing or transfer is authorized by you or required to achieve the purposes for which you have provided them to us. It means that we may share your personal data with service providers, who help assist us in fulfilling our purposes. For instance, by sending MSF an email on unicat@msf.org, MSF uses your email address to answer to your request. Personal data may also be shared with third parties when required by law or by a court order.

We use your data to:

  • keep a record of your engagement with us
  • understand how we can improve our services and information

Who has access to your data?

DATA PROCESSORS 

We use other companies to help us manage and store personal data and to carry out certain activities on our behalf.  Our main data processors are listed below, but we may enlist the services of others from time to time:

We operate globally and may have a need to transfer certain data to countries outside the EEA. In the event the country where the data is transferred does not provide an adequate level of protection, we make sure to implement technical and organizational measures to protect your data. Should you have any questions in this respect we please contact us at unicat@msf.org

How do we keep your information safe?

We use appropriate technical and organizational measures and precautions in order to protect your personal data and to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal data.

Amongst these are:

  • the pseudonymisation or encryption of personal data
  • ongoing confidentiality, integrity, availability and resilience of processing systems and services
  • the ability to restore the availability and access to personal data in a timely manner in the event of a physical or technical incident
  • a process for regularly testing, assessing and evaluating the effectiveness of our network

While we make sure to keep your data safe, no data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We can't guarantee the security of any information you send us and you do so at your own risk.

How long do we keep your information?

We keep your information for as long as it’s necessary in connection with the purposes defined above in “How do we use your information?” and for the purpose of providing you with your tax receipt. For instance and as a general rule, understand how to improve traffic through analytics tools.

If you request to receive no further contact from us, we'll keep only the basic information about you on our suppression list in order to avoid sending you unwanted materials in the future, for the duration allowed by the application legislation.

Our legal basis for processing personal data

Organisations need a lawful basis to collect and use personal data under data protection law. The law allows for six ways to process personal data (and additional ways for sensitive personal data). Three of these are relevant to the types of processing that MSF carries out:

  • A person’s consent; and 
  • Our legitimate interests (please see below for more information).

Our legitimate interests include

  • Charity Governance; including delivery of our charitable purposes, statutory and financial reporting and other regulatory compliance purposes;
  • Administration and operational management; including responding to solicited enquires, providing information and services, research, events management, the administration of volunteers and employment and recruitment requirements. 

  How can you change your information and what are your rights?

Contact us at unicat@msf.org if you'd like to change or update your personal information.

You have a number of rights under data protection legislation:

  • You can request any information we hold on you. Email us at unicat@msf.org and ask for it in writing. You may be asked for proof of identity.
  • You have the right to ask us to stop using or to restrict the processing of your personal data.
  • You can withdraw your consent to us processing your data at any time (where such processing is based on consent eg to send you electronic direct marketing).
  • If you believe our records are inaccurate you have the right to ask for those records concerning you to be updated. To update your records please get in touch with us using the details above.
  • In accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation, you have a right to erasure (“to be forgotten” i.e. to have your personal data deleted from our database), or transferred to another organisation (“data portability”). 
  • If you have any concerns about the way your data is being used or if you’d like to make a complaint please contact us fusing the following email address: IPCO.IO@geneva.msf.org.
  • You are also entitled to file a complaint about how MSF treats your data. To do so, you may directly contact: Préposé Fédéral à la Protection des Données et à la Transparence (PFPDT), Feldeggweg 1, CH-3003 Berne (tel.: +41 (0)58 462 43 95).

When do we update this notice?

We change this Privacy Notice when we need to. If we make any significant changes in the way we treat your personal information we’ll make this clear on our websites or by contacting you directly.

Last updated on 10.12.2024

Any all rights on this document belong to MSF. Any reproduction, without written consent, is strictly forbidden."