The ISE Code of Ethics has a long history of development, dating back to the origins of the Society when the Declaration of Belém was made by the delegates who attended the first congress in 1988.The development of the ISE Code of Ethics involved hundreds of individuals from many different cultures and backgrounds and from all regions of the world. The Code of Ethics was finally completed and adopted in 2006, with the addition of an Executive Summary and Glossary of Terms in 2008.

At the request of ISE members at the 2006 Congress, the ISE is currently developing an online Ethics Toolkit to assist members in understanding and implementing the ISE Code of Ethics. The ISE Ethics Toolkit contains supporting material for applying the ISE Code of Ethics across diverse cultural and geographical contexts.

2006 (Thailand) The Code of Ethics was unanimously adopted at the General Assembly, with the condition that an Executive Summary and Glossary of Terms be added. ISE Members request a complimentary Ethics Toolkit to assist in understanding and implementing the ISE Code of Ethics.
2008 (Cusco) The 2008-2010 grant from The Christensen Fund (TCF) included support for creation of an ethics toolkit (originally led by Jeannine Pfeifer, subsequently passed to Kelly Bannister and Natasha Duarte).
2010 (Tofino) A special congress workshop on the ethics toolkit (organized by Kelly Bannister and Natasha Duarte) took place to share experiences, identify and collect resources and discuss toolkit content and format, and to identify key resource people willing to further assist in development.
2012 (Montpellier) During the Congress poster session, the alpha version of the online Ethics Toolkit was introduced to congress participants through an interactive booth, organized by Ethics Program Co-Chairs Kelly Bannister and Gleb Raygorodetsky. The alpha version provides the capacity to systematically receive and organize contributions as part of the Ethics Toolkit. ISE members will be introduced to the design, organization and functions of the Ethics Toolkit and shown how to contribute.