Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 6th, 2024

The Global Sustainable Development Forum (the “Sustainable Development Forum”, “SDF”, “we”, “us” and “our”) is committed to safeguarding your privacy and ensuring that you continue to trust the SDF with your personal data. When you interact with us, you may share personal information with us that allows identification of you as an individual (e.g. name, email address, address, telephone number, voice, actions, likeness, appearance, biographical material, and avatar). This is known as “personal data”.

This Privacy Policy applies where the SDF is acting as a data controller with respect to the personal data of a visitor to our website and a user of the SDF platforms and/or services; in other words, where the SDF determines the purposes and means of processing your personal data.

Scope and acceptance of this Privacy Policy

The SDF has developed this Privacy Policy to describe how and what type of personal data will be collected from users of the SDF website and/or platforms and the purposes, for which the SDF may collect, share or disclose the personal data.

By using the SDF website, platforms, or through the SDF branded pages or applications on third-party social networks (e.g. Facebook) (“SDF Site”) or by giving us your personal data when registering for events or other services, you accept the collecting and processing of your personal data as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not use the SDF Site or give us any personal data.

This Privacy Policy applies to any information obtained by the SDF through your use of the SDF Site. It is not applicable to any websites controlled by third parties not affiliated with the SDF that the SDF Site may link to (“Third Party Sites”). Please review the privacy statements of each of these Third Party Sites as the SDF is not responsible for and has no influence on the content or the privacy practices of Third Party Sites.

The SDF reserves the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time. We encourage you to regularly review this Privacy Policy to make sure you are aware of any changes and how your personal data may be used.

2. What information do we collect and for what purposes?

When you visit the SDF Site, our web server automatically records details about your visit: for example, your IP address, the website from which you visit us, the type of browser software used, the SDF Site pages that you actually visit, including the date and the duration of your visit. Please see our Cookie Notice for information on these technologies and your rights in relation to them (See section 5).

In addition, we process personal data that you provide through the SDF Site, for example, when you enter personal details (e.g. name, gender, address, email address, phone/fax number) on a registration page or if you sign up for an email newsletter.

The SDF may use the personal data that you provide to us with your consent for a specified purpose or when you interact with the SDF Site. We process your data if we have a legal basis, namely, regarding your registration for SDF events or your request for SDF services.

Furthermore, we operate a custom platform, which is fully built and maintained by the SDF (“Custom Platform”).

Custom Platform is a public website – www.sustainabledevforum.com

The SDF public website is the external-facing platform for public engagement with the SDF and provides insights into SDF activities, initiatives, projects and roadmaps.

The SDF public website uses third-party cookies (Google Analytics) to track common metrics such as platform engagement, concurrent users, maximum number of users, time spent on a page, etc. The use of such analytics cookies improves your user experience and provides the SDF with valuable information to help the SDF better tailor our services to our partners, members, constituents and participants.

3. Children’s personal data

The SDF does not knowingly solicit or collect personal data from children under 18. If the SDF discovers that it has accidentally collected personal data from a child under 18, it will remove that child’s personal data from its records as soon as reasonably possible. However, the SDF may collect personal data about children under 18 if authorized by the parent responsible for the child.

4. How do we share personal data?

We do not share your personal data with any third party that intends to use it for direct marketing purposes unless you have provided specific consent in relation to this.

The SDF may share your personal data with third parties for other purposes, but only in the following circumstances:

I. With your consent

We will share personal data with third parties outside of the SDF when we have your consent. We require explicit opt-in consent for the sharing of any sensitive personal information.

II. For legitimate interests

We will share personal data based on legitimate interests as, for example, when you register for one of our events, except where such interests are overridden by your interests or fundamental rights, in which case we will request your explicit consent.

III. For external processing (service providers)

We may engage service providers, agents, or contractors to provide services on our behalf, including administering the SDF Site and services available to you. These third parties may come to access or otherwise process your personal data in the course of providing these services.

The SDF requires such third parties, who may be based outside the country from which you have accessed the SDF Site or service, to comply with all relevant data protection laws and security requirements regarding your personal data, usually through a written agreement.

IV. Compliance with laws

We will share personal data with third parties outside of the SDF if we have a good-faith belief that access, use, preservation or disclosure of the personal data is reasonably necessary to:

  • Meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request
  • Enforce applicable Terms of Use, including investigation of potential violations
  • Detect, prevent or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues
  • Protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of the SDF, our users or the public as required or permitted by law

5. “Cookie Notice”

5.1 About cookies

A cookie is a small piece of information that a web server asks the user’s browser to store on the user’s local computer, and then later their browser presents this information to the web server. In its simplest form, a cookie is an identifying number.

5.2 What type of cookies do we use?

We use session cookies on the SDF Site. Session cookies only last as long as the session (usually the current visit to a website or a browser session).

We use cookies for anonymous user tracking. The SDF web server assigns each user a unique numerical ID (“ID”). All page requests are tagged with that ID, and by analyzing the log files, the SDF can determine how many unique users use the SDF Site.

5.3 How do we use cookies?

The SDF does not know the identity of a person based on the ID. The cookies used by the SDF do not contain any personal data about you nor are they used to look up your personal data. Even if you have entered personal data about yourself in one of the SDF’s registration forms, the SDF does not relate that information to the cookie data.

The SDF Site may use cookies for analytics and to improve your user experience. The SDF Site will usually not natively use cookies but our analytics providers do use these cookies to improve user experience.

Our analytics provider:

This provider uses cookies to tailor your user experience, gather statistics on usage and engagement and help better inform the SDF’s efforts to deliver world-class engagement, knowledge and events.

You are free to decline cookies if your browser or browser add-on allows, except if they are required to prevent fraud or ensure the security of the SDF Site that the SDF controls. However, disabling the use of cookies will result in a less user-friendly experience of the SDF Site or can fully prevent you from using the SDF Site.

6. How do we store or transfer your data?

The SDF has an office in Serbia. The hosting for our website is operated via Bluehost, and its servers are situated in Utah, USA.

When transferring personal data internationally, we ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, for example, by entering into agreements that ensure the recipients of your information maintain an adequate level of data protection.

Information collected within the European Economic Area (“EEA”) may, for example, be transferred to countries outside of the EEA for the purposes as described in this Policy. We utilize standard contract clauses approved by the European Commission, adopt other means under Serbian and European Union law and/or obtain your consent to legitimize data transfers from the EEA to the United States and other countries.

7. Security of personal data

The SDF is committed to protecting the security of your personal data. Any information you provide to the SDF is handled with due care and security and will not be used in ways other than those set forth in this Privacy Policy, in any site/area-specific policies, or in ways to which users have not explicitly consented. The SDF employs a range of technologies and security measures to protect the information maintained on SDF systems from loss, misuse, unauthorized access or disclosure, alteration or destruction.

However, since the internet is not a 100% secure environment, the SDF cannot ensure nor guarantee the security of any information that the user may transmit to the SDF Site. There is no guarantee that information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed by breach of any of the SDF’s physical, technical or managerial safeguards.

All SDF employees who have access to and are associated with the processing of personal data are obliged to respect the confidentiality of all such personal data.

8. How long do we retain personal data?

The SDF will retain your personal data for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy and/or as long we require the personal data to provide you with the SDF services or products you requested unless a longer retention period is required to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements.

9. How can you access your data or contact us?

You have a right to request access to your personal data. You may send us a request for access, and the provision of such information will be subject to the supply of appropriate evidence of your identity. You also have the right to request that the SDF corrects any inaccuracies in your personal data.

You have the right to opt out of receiving marketing communications or any other information from the SDF or about SDF events and can do so by (a) following the instructions for opt-out in the relevant marketing communication or (b) by contacting us.

Should you have any questions, concerns and/or complaints about this Privacy Policy or if you would like to make any recommendations or comments to improve the quality of our Privacy Policy, please contact us at office@sustainabledevforum.com.

10. Our details

The SDF is the data controller for personal data we collect through means stated in this Privacy Policy. Our address is:

Global Sustainable Development Forum

Dr Dragoslava Popovica 9

11060 Belgrade, Serbia

TIN: 114378856

RN: 28381034