About the Chatham House Rule

The Chatham House Rule was devised at Chatham House (the home of the Royal Institute for International Affairs in London*) in 1927 and was refined in 1992 and 2002. It is an internationally recognised and respected way of conducting meetings and it reads as follows:

“When a meeting is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed”

This does not mean that the discussions are secret, although this is how it might appear at first sight. In fact (and in practice), the Chatham House Rule is there to encourage everyone to speak freely. Speakers can – and do – talk openly and truthfully about issues in their community, challenges in society or their own leadership dilemmas. They are also able to speak as individuals and express views that may not be those of their organisations. In these conditions, real issues or concerns can be aired, genuine debate can flourish and deeper learning can be achieved.

The Chatham house Rule simply means that people can talk about anything that they have learnt or discussed on the programme but cannot say who it was that expressed a particular view.

As well as enhancing the learning experience for everyone this makes it easier for people to talk freely outside the programme about what they have heard.

If we did not observe the rule, everyone would be more guarded – which would significantly reduce the effectiveness of the educational experience.

*The mission of the Royal Institute for International Affairs is to be a world-leading source of independent analysis, informed debate and influential ideas on how to build a prosperous and secure world for all.