The principles that guide our planning, engagement, and decision-making activities are:

• Respect for life in all its forms, including minimization of harm to human beings and other sentient creatures;
• Respect for future generations of human beings, other species, and the biosphere as a whole;
• Respect for peoples and cultures; Justice (across groups, regions and generations);
• Fairness (to everyone affected); and

Sensitivity to the differences of values and interpretation that different individuals and groups bring to the dialogue.
We adopted these ethical and social principles in 2005, based on the report of the NWMO Round Table on Ethics. We reviewed the framework in 2011, and again in 2018, to ensure it remains appropriate to guide new phases of our work. The framework is considered a living document, and as such, it will continue to be reviewed and discussed with communities involved in the site selection process and interested citizens.

The NWMO continues to build on this framework. We periodically assess our performance against this framework in our annual and triennial reports.

• NWMO's Ethical and Social Framework (January 2019)
• Review of the Framework (December 2011)
• Ethical and Social Framework – March 5, 2005 (revised)
• Ethical and Social Framework – June 24, 2004